The Beginning of War
by Jewelle
Summary: A BTVSDark Angel crossover. The First Evil is being summoned, and Buffy, Faith and Max are captured by the Bringers. It’s Spike and Alec to the rescue. The biggest battle of their lives is starting to begin. (Alternate Universe) MA! BS!
1. Ritual

"The Battle Begins"  
  
Author: Jewelle  
  
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the creators of BTVS and DA.  
  
Summary: A BTVS/Dark Angel crossover. The First Evil is being summoned, and Buffy, Faith and Max are captured by the Bringers. It's Spike and Alec to the rescue. The biggest battle of their lives is starting to begin. (Alternate Universe) M/A! B/S!  
  
A/N: This is mostly AU! Hope you enjoy!!! Oh, and I might've mixed up some of the names of the Familiars...I'm not exactly familiar with them. Hahaha!!! :-)  
  
Chapter One: Ritual  
  
In the outskirts of Seattle, Washington D.C., a fire was burning, blazing blithely in the center of a ring of hooded figures. They were clad in blood- red robes, their faces hidden in the shadow of their cloaks. A ritual was being performed, and a series of chants resonated through the dense forest.  
  
A priestess stepped away from the circle, throwing back her hood and revealing a tattooed face that was imprinted with strange words. An ancient language, spoken only by the members of the phalanx, the familiars that were present that night. The priestess, a woman that went by the name of Gabrielle, pulled out a writhing snake from within her robe. It's pale yellow eyes gleamed in the dark, and it's ruby-red skin glistened under the moonlight. A python.  
  
She raised it up in the air, speaking in the ancient tongue, murmuring a silent prayer. A gift to the gods. They need to be appeased before the ceremony could be completed. The Familiar Breeding Cult prided themselves in their works of the Dark Arts. An old magic that lived for almost one thousand years, and was still present among them, flowing through their veins.  
  
Tonight, they were testing the power of their magic, performing an intricate ritual that they had been practicing for almost ten years. Tonight, they were going to summon the First Evil.  
  
Gabrielle smiled, pointed white teeth gleaming hungrily. Her eyes flashed briefly, and she flung the Python into the fire. Silence broke among the Familiars as they watched the snake's body burn and writhe in agony. It was then that Gabrielle spoke, her voice nothing more than a low whisper. "Our time here in Seattle is over. We have conjured a number of followers called the Bringers," she said in a buzzing voice. "They will be responsible for executing the fighters of the Good. The Slayers." She spit out the last word in disgust before continuing. "We shall proceed to Sunnydale, California. Home of the Mouth of Hell. There, the ceremony will be completed." Her head turned, and her cat-like eyes locked on Ames White's gaze.  
  
"Brother White," she said, her tone commanding. "You shall be the one to find the proper sacrifice for this rite. Make certain, that her blood is worthy enough to please the gods."  
  
White bowed low, a sardonic smile spreading across his face. He knew exactly who's blood he wanted to see spilled into the fires.  
  
"And remember," Gabrielle hissed cynically with a foreboding smile. "From beneath you, it devours."  
  
In the comfort of her home, Buffy Summers jerked awake. Sweat was trickling down her forehead, and gasps of breath escaped her lips. The vividness of the dream had shaken her, and the words that the priestess had spoke hung in her head. "From beneath you, it devours." She whispered, shivering as she sat up in her bed.  
  
It was then that she noticed that Dawn was sitting in front of her, a worried look on her face. "Are you alright?" she asked, shifting closer to her sister. "You were screaming."  
  
"I – I just had a bad dream," Buffy said, trying to shake away the horrific images that she had seen. "A nightmare."  
  
Dawn just stared at her, and she knew that her younger sister didn't believe her. She shot Buffy an incredulous look before standing up and getting ready to leave. "Okay then, if you're sure you don't want to talk about it..."  
  
"Just go back to sleep Dawn," Buffy instructed, lying back down into the warmth of her pillows. She wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders, trying to convince herself that what she had just seen was just a nightmare, and nothing more. But something Giles told her told her otherwise. Slayers had the gift of foresight. But she had a feeling that what she saw had already happened.  
  
A/N: Please review!!! :-)  
  
Jewelle 


	2. Home Sweet Home

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!: Stormvind, Arwen-Amy, Khassa, luvspike/alec, Ronda the Immortal waitress (love the pen name!! Hehe) Alexis7, and Orli 43 and lakergirl  
  
Chapter Two: Home Sweet Home  
  
Max looked up from the pre-pulse movie that she was watching towards the window where she had heard a faint scraping noise. Due to the heavy rain that was pelting Seattle in an unmerciful manner, the window was firmly shut closed, and there was nothing there.  
  
She shrugged, telling herself that it was probably her imagination. Ever since the recent incident with Lydecker trying to incarcerate her, she had become more cautious, and that night was no exception. Alec was out on a heist, (as Terminal City's leaders, they had commenced to sharing an apartment. As friends.) and the apartment was vacant except for the brunette X5. It would have been a perfect time for an ambush.  
  
It was nearing midnight, and she realized how tired she was. A whole day running around the city delivering packages and getting yelled at by an irritable supposedly gay boss tended to be very exhausting, and even her shark DNA had it's limits. Stifling a yawn, she switched off the 'boob tube', as what Alec liked to call it and made a beeline for her bedroom.  
  
Flinging open the door, she was faced by a horrendous sight. It was Ames White, and he was not alone. Half a dozen Familiars stood on either side of him, all of which were armed. "We meet again, 452." White greeted her maliciously.  
  
She had no idea how he was able to enter Terminal City undetected, but that was the least of her worries right now. Max shot him a nasty look before lunging at them. She knew that she barely had a chance against White's cronies, but there was no way in hell that she was going down without a fight. She landed several punches on White's face, and a few kicks on one of his lackeys. Her attempts were futile. A taser gun appeared out of nowhere, and she was met by a shock of electricity before her whole world went black.  
  
White smiled. "Payback's a bitch, 452." He said, spitting a mouthful of blood onto her face. "And so are you."  
  
"From beneath you it devours," Giles repeated for almost the third times since the beginning of their conversation. He had just arrived along with three Potential Slayers, that had sought refuge in Revello Drive. It seemed that the Slayer's house was just about the safest place in the world at the moment. Buffy had just finished reliving to her Watcher the details of her dream, and it seemed that Giles had found a connection.  
  
Two of the Potentials had claimed that they were chased by black-robed people (that is, if they were people. Buffy highly doubted it) that wore masks, hiding their faces. Giles had reached the conclusion that these were the Bringers, the ones in charge in the killing of the Slayers.  
  
"You know, when Spike was still all delusional, he kept saying that phrase too." Buffy said thoughtfully. "Of course, he can't remember any of it, now."  
  
It was then that the phone rang. Willow's voice shouted from the kitchen. "I'll get it!"  
  
"You said that they're going to finish the ritual here, and that they're going to sacrifice someone?" Giles asked, waiting for clarification.  
  
"Yes," Buffy confirmed. "On the Hellmouth."  
  
At this moment, Willow walked into the living room. "Hey, Wills. Who was on the phone?" Buffy asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, that was Fred." The red head replied, shrugging on her green corduroy jacket. "Listen, I need to go to LA for a few days. Is that alright with you?"  
  
"Sure," Buffy said. "Just be sure to come back in one piece. There's a lot of nasties roaming around town."  
  
Willow smiled, before leaving.  
  
"I have to go too," Giles said standing up and downing the last of his coffee. "I want to do further research on this Breeding Cult. I'll let you know once I find something." He said. "For now – keep your eyes peeled open."  
  
"48,000, 49,000, 50,000." Alec grinned in satisfaction after counting the last of his fence. Last night's heist had went off without a hitch, (although it took him most of the morning to get out of the Art Gallery's complexities) and he was now on his way to the apartment he was sharing with Max, eager to show her the success of his mission.  
  
He had barely reached the end of the hallway when a voice called out to him from behind. It was Jewel. Terminal City's third in the chain of command. She used to be under Alec's authority back at Manticore, and was one of the best. He stopped in his tracks, staring in surprise at the look of panicked fear in her usually bright blue eyes. She was breathing heavily, giving Alec the suspicion that she had run (or should we say blurred) all the way to find him. "What's wrong?" he asked, grasping hold of her shoulders and steadying her.  
  
"White," she gasped. "We saw him fly off on a Blackhawk chopper. Mole thinks he captured Max."  
  
Ice gripped Alec's heart, and motioning for Jewel to follow him, they made their way into his apartment, and into Max's bedroom. It was empty. Although, only one thing caught his eye.  
  
On the carpet a few inches away from the door were black-burned scorch marks. "They used tasers," Jewel said, her eyes widening. "She's alive."  
  
This was nothing short of relief for Alec. She may still be alive. But how long will it be until they kill her? Time was flying by, and Alec rushed out of the bedroom and into his own, quickly grabbing his trusty Glock 18, and a 9mm. Max's life was hanging by a thin piece of thread, and he had to find her. Fast.  
  
Alec emerged from his bedroom to find Jewel talking into her mobile phone. She snapped it shut the minute she saw Alec. "That was Dix," she informed him. "He's pin-pointed their location. Sunnydale, California."  
  
Alec nodded, his eyes betraying his gratitude. "Call me if you find anything more," he said, and before exiting the apartment, said to the raven-haired X5. "Listen," he said, locking eyes with the anxious transgenic. "If we don't come back -"  
  
Jewel nodded, showing that she understood what he meant. "Just go," she said.  
  
And Alec was gone, leaving no evidence of his exit save for the door swinging shut behind him.  
  
Sunnydale, California. Quite an ironic name for a town that held the highest-crime rating in the whole of California – and the largest amount of graveyards that littered the small city. Faith winced as memories of her killings flooded back into her mind. She knew for a fact that Buffy and her friends had not forgiven her for what she had done, and they probably never will. Faith thought, grimly.  
  
She snuck a glance at the red-headed witch beside her. Willow had been sent to pick her up at Los Angeles Prison, and the younger girl had been quite uncomfortable around the 'newly-released murderer.' They spent the ride in awkward silence, with nothing but the faint soulful tunes that came from the car's radio.  
  
They sped past the dilapidated sign: 'You are Now Entering Sunnydale, California.' Faith gazed out the car's window, into the empty streets of the small town – or not so empty streets. Several figures, dressed in pitch- black robes where running across a small park. Willow seemed to have seen it as well, because she braked to a halt.  
  
"Who the freaking hell are those dopes?" Faith asked, craning her neck to the right to get a better view of the robed figures. They had stopped underneath a large oak tree. They were huddled in a tight group, discussing something – and they seemed to be gesturing towards them.  
  
"They're called Bringers," Willow informed her. "They're sent to kill anyone with Slayer blood." Willow was gripping the steering wheel in an alarmed fashion, and her eyes were wide with dread. "They must have sensed you."  
  
It was then that the so-called Bringers moved towards them. 


	3. Slayer

A/N: Might I remind everyone that this is sorta AU.  
  
Willow98002: Yup, this is the same one as the first chapter of the Battle Begins. I stopped uploading the other story coz' I was receiving more review here!! And as for the timeline...AU. :-)  
  
Lynsi  
  
Stormvind  
  
Chapter Three: Slayer  
  
"Wake up, 452."  
  
Max's eyes snapped open at the given order, and the moment she did so, pain scorched the backs of her eyelids. Her head felt unpleasantly sore, and so did the rest of her body. Powerful sedatives must've been injected into her systems to make her feel so damned weak. And even with the heavy narcotics that was drugged into her, she was chained to the wall as well. Apparently, they weren't taking any chances.  
  
Steel-gray eyes stared down from above her, and the leering face of Ames White stared into her face. He was no longer dressed in his usual expensive business suits, but was clad in wine-red robes that covered both his hands and feet. "Feeling fashionable, White?" Max asked in disdain, trying to ignore the way her vision would blur every now and then.  
  
White missed the sarcasm. "No."  
  
"Where am I?" she asked, surveying her surroundings for the first time. Judging from the junk-filled metal shelves that lined the far side of the room, they were in some kind of basement. But the small circular chasm in the center of the room argued to this observation. The ground rose up from around it, giving it a wall-like impression. Max squinted, trying to get a better view of it. It was then that she saw that there was a rounded silver- plated disc that lay within the chasm. Strange images were emblazoned on the surface, and so far, she understood none of it.  
  
"You're in hell, 452." White said, smiling cynically.  
  
Max raised an eyebrow. "I guess I missed all the fire shows, huh?"  
  
And again, he missed the sarcasm. Maybe this was hell. White stood up and paced steadily in front of her. It only added to the dizziness she was already feeling. "Hell is where you belong, Max." he sneered. "You were built to be an assassin – a killer."  
  
Max winced, and to her condescension, White grinned in satisfaction. "Guilty, aren't we?" he asked in a mocking voice.  
  
Max shot the Familiar a nasty look. "I didn't choose to be what I am," she said, unwaveringly. "And you are, for a fact, right about what you said. I am a killer. And the minute I'm out of these chains, you're as good as dead."  
  
White laughed, a mirthless laugh that sent chills running down her spine. His eyes flashed silver as he stared down heatedly into her gaze. She met it unblinkingly. "But that's where you're wrong, 452." He hissed. "You're not getting out of those chains. Animals were made to be kept within a cage. And you're the one whose going to be as good as dead tonight--"  
  
She wasn't given any more time to think about the alarming information that White had been generous enough to share to her, because the doors to the 'basement' swung open, and screams of outrage filled the room. Two men dressed in black from head to foot was dragging a struggling girl that was shouting at the top of her lungs, letting out an impressive amount of swear words that Max found herself memorizing.  
  
"The prisoner?" White asked, dispatching himself from his current position in front of Max to talk to his two cronies. The girl had stopped thrashing, and was looking around the room in mild interest.  
  
"One of the Slayers," one of the men clarified. Max vaguely wondered what they meant by 'Slayers'.  
  
"Tie her up," White commanded, gesturing lazily towards the empty set of chains across the room, facing Max. The men did as told and they left as quickly as they came. He approached the newcomer, and addressed her in the same way he addressed Max. Incredibly rudely.  
  
"So," White started. "You're the slayer gone bad...this gives the word 'slayer' a whole new meaning."  
  
Buffy sat down in front of the kitchen countertop, studying the Potentials as they ate their dinner, and talked to each other in low voices. Earlier that afternoon, Giles had brought in a few more, and the Summers' home was packed to the brim. Dawn, had gone upstairs to show some of the girls their sleeping quarters, which was either on the floor or on the few couches that Buffy owned.  
  
Most of the Potentials were only sixteen, the same age Buffy was when she was Chosen. And many of them wore the same apprehensive expressions, because they themselves, knew that their death lay just beyond the corner. They weren't trained to fight well, the same way Buffy was taught. They didn't have their own Watcher, like she did when she was young. They didn't even get to stake a vampire yet. And Buffy was getting worried by the minute. With the First Evil on the rise, there was no doubting that they will be fighting the biggest battle of their lives.  
  
And there was a very big chance that they were going to lose.  
  
"Where's Willow?" one of the older Potentials, called Kennedy asked. Buffy allowed herself a small smile. She had the tiniest inkling that there was something going on with the two girls, which was good – sort of. Being in a relationship with someone did not suit well when your going to war. There are tendencies in which one of them would abandon their post to help their loved one. And that would jeopardize everyone's else's safety.  
  
"She's in Los--" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because the kitchen/back door slammed open. A panicked-looking Willow raced in. The kitchen fell silent, and everyone's gaze were focused on the witch.  
  
"Buffy," she panted, gripping the edge of the countertop with much force. Kennedy stood up and steadied her. "It's Faith, she's been captured – by the Bringers."  
  
Gasps erupted from the room. But Buffy's eyes narrowed. So that was what Willow was doing in LA. She went to pick up Faith. Her sister Slayer who held the blood of innocents in her hands. Her sister Slayer who almost killed all of them. True, Buffy had not yet, and will never forgive Faith for her undeniable actions. But she was still a slayer. And they needed her in the war. 


	4. Meetings

Chapter Four: Meetings  
  
It had started to rain a light drizzle, and it dampened the air with a humid atmosphere. An ambiance that Alec did not particularly like. Cats hated getting wet. With a slight grimace on his face, he revved up the engine of his black BMW (he had stolen it back at Seattle) and sped through into 'Sunnydale, California.'  
  
He explored the small town with careful eyes. Unlike Washington D.C, which was greatly affected by the Pulse, the country of California seemed to have went by untouched. And he found himself becoming fallow to the pleasant- looking town. Compared to Seattle, which virtually lived in poverty and was always crawling with Sector cops and hover drones, Sunnydale was the ideal kind of neighborhood that Alec saw on television. Neatly-trimmed lawns spread across the sidelines to be followed by average-looking suburban homes.  
  
The streets were dimly-lit, and the environment gave off an ominous feeling that made him strangely alert. The town was deathly silent, and if it wasn't for the brightly lit houses, Alec would've thought that he was driving through a ghost town. He frowned as he passed by another cemetery. It was the third that he had seen since entering Sunnydale. It seemed that the burying of the dead was very popular in the city. In Seattle, many of them simply buried their loved ones in a secluded cove, or clearing, without the fancy headstones or coffins due to the lack of money.  
  
He braked to a halt in front of a telephone booth. A map was folded tidily beside the telephone, and he swiftly memorized it, glancing around as he did so. Now what? Alec thought. He knew nothing of Max's whereabouts, only that she was in Sunnydale. And it was a pretty large place to scavenge around, even for an X5. By the time he would be done, Max might already be – dead.  
  
"Where the hell are you, Maxie?" He asked out loud, not caring if anyone heard him.  
  
"Looking for someone?" A feminine voice asked from behind him. He spun around startled, cursing himself for not hearing her arrive. It was a blonde, short, skinny, but pretty. Beside her stood a guy that looked like had hadn't seen the sun in years. And he was carrying an axe. This place must be older than I thought, Alec thought wryly.  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I am looking for someone." Alec replied in a neutral voice. As a soldier, he was trained not to trust anyone, but so far, he was not getting any bad vibes from the two strangers. It was in his genes to know who was the enemy and who was not. If they were Familiars, he would've been feeling that annoying tugging in the pit of his stomach that announced trouble.  
  
"We're looking for someone too," the girl said. "And I have a feeling that there's a connection between the two absences. You'd better come with us." She instructed gesturing towards a small park that seemed to lead towards an old chateau. Alec, knowing he had no other leads than this one, obliged reluctantly.  
  
"You're with the Watcher's Council," Faith observed, narrowing her eyes at the man who introduced himself as 'White'. He had just finished reliving to her the history of her life as a murderer, in which Faith had tuned him out to scrutinize the girl that was chained across the room. Beautiful was the first thing that came into Faith's mind when she saw her, and there was also the fact that she looked older then Faith, meaning she wasn't one of the Potentials Willow had told her about.  
  
White had addressed the other a girl a few times during his history lesson, calling her 452, to which Faith found oddly disturbing. It also appeared that her fellow captive was a 'killer' as well, which was just fine with Faith. She had met a lot of blood-hungry people in LA Jail, and she was already used to such environs.  
  
"No, I am not." White said, looking deeply insulted. "I am part of a more primordial kind of assemblage. A Breeding Cult, if you may. And we are far, far above those who are part of the so-called Watcher's Council."  
  
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the two men who dragged her into captivity. "Sir," they said, inclining their heads slightly down. "The slayer, and two men are making their way to the winery."  
  
White's face paled in obvious anger. "Who are the two men?"  
  
"You're assistant," one said with a touch of distaste. "Otto, said one of them was a transgenic."  
  
Transgenic? Faith thought. This was new. She had heard about them of course. They were all over international news, and some of the guards back at Los Angeles would allow them to watch once in a while. But what would one be doing in small town Sunnydale was news to her ears. And there was the tiny little fact that he was wandering around with Buffy, and some other guy that Faith presumed would be either Giles, Xander, or Spike. One of Buffy's ever so loyal friends.  
  
"He said that it was 494," the other informed. White further paled and he struck his fist across the wall, beside her creating a huge dent, and drawing blood. Faith was then distinctly aware of how strong this guy was. Who were these people?  
  
White threw the other girl a poisonous look before disappearing through the doors with the two men in a billow of red and black robes. This left Faith alone with the other girl. They stared at each other for a few seconds, daring the other to break the silence. It was Faith who broke first, unable to take the other's girl's piercing gaze that seemed to stare straight into the back of her skull. It unnerved her.  
  
"You're a transgenic," Faith said bluntly, realization dawning on her.  
  
"And you're a slayer," the girl said in an expressionless tone. "Whatever that is."  
  
"So," Faith started in a conversational tone. "Don't tell me you're name is, 452."  
  
"Try Max," she said, hitching up one shoulder in a careless gesture.  
  
"Faith," she introduced herself, and tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. "So, why don't we exchange life stories, since our life is officially going to end tonight, anyway."  
  
The Vineyard was an old two story building that stretched to width rather than length. It had been abandoned for more than three years already, and nobody bothered cleaning it up, both interiorly and exteriorly. The walls were washed up with a light russet-brown coloring that was peeling at several places. Overgrown plants stood on either side of the small porch, and the French-styled double-doors looked as if it hadn't been opened in centuries.  
  
"How do you know that they're here?" Alec asked skeptically. "This place looks like it's been around for quite a while."  
  
"Our friend saw the bad guys come out from this place," Buffy answered, and prepared to kick down the door. However, Alec caught her foot a second before it hit the wooden door. She raised an eyebrow. "Do you mind?"  
  
"I'm not even going to ask, what you are." He said, dropping her foot. "But anyway, that's not the point. The point is, you're going to make a hell of a noise if you kick that door open, and that would alert whoever is waiting down there."  
  
Buffy had the grace to feel embarrassed. "Oh, yeah. Right."  
  
Alec reached into her hair and pulled out a hairpin, a devious gleam in his hazel-green eyes. Buffy's mouth formed a perfect 'O'. He inserted it into the keyhole, twisted it around a bit, and voila the door swung open easily. The three of them entered the winery soundlessly, and was greeted by pitch- black darkness.  
  
Buffy swore under her breath. Slayers weren't exactly gifted with night vision, unlike vampires. Spike wouldn't have trouble at all seeing in the dark. She didn't know about Alec, but she had a distinct feeling that he too, could see in the dark. He gave off an aura of strength and power that Buffy found strangely comforting.  
  
"Um, a little help here?" she asked as softly as possible. A cold hand took hold of her arm, Spike no doubt, and guided her down a set of stairs and into what looked like a cellar. It was dimly-lit, their only source of light coming from a light bulb that hung in the middle of the wooden ceiling. Empty barrels that used to hold extremely delicious wine lined the sidelines, and crystal glass covered in fine layers of dust stood on top of a long countertop.  
  
"There's no one here," Spike said, with a slight frown.  
  
"Correction," a silky voice replied from somewhere within the shadows of the subterranean vault. "I'm here." A man, dressed in swirling shrouds of crimson appeared from behind a particularly large barrel, and with him were two men dressed in business suits. They were enormous, and they cracked their knuckles in a decided manner.  
  
"White," Alec said in an unnaturally calm voice that sent chills running down Buffy's spine. His eyes were burning with rage, turning the pools of hazel into a darker shade of emerald green. It was an astonishing sight which made Buffy reach the conclusion that their new friend certainly wasn't human.  
  
"You know this guy?" Spike asked suspiciously.  
  
"An old friend," Alec spat.  
  
"You're girlfriend's dead, 494." White smirked. "The one you love so dearly."  
  
"She's not my girlfriend," Alec replied coolly.  
  
White's smirk broadened to a malevolent smile that Buffy found herself disliking. Spike's grip on the axe tightened as the two of them prepared for combat. There was no doubting that Alec was way beyond prepared. Anger sometimes helped in battle, it pushes you to your limits, but sometimes you push too far, and you end up doing something that you'll regret later on.  
  
"Ah, but you don't deny the fact that you love her, don't you?" White's face contorted in a disgusted expression. "You love her so much, that you'll follow her through the gates of hell?"  
  
Alec's back stiffened. Buffy laid a hand on his shoulder, warning him. Control was essential in conflict, and it brought you to your best defense. "Yes I would," Alec said in the same calm voice. His face had switched to a blank mask that was almost unreal. "I am after all, an assassin."  
  
This time, it was Buffy who stiffened. An assassin? Where they siding with the wrong person here? But then, she had not received any bad vibes from the guy.  
  
Buffy struggled to keep her emotions intact, as her mind clouded up with confusion on what to do. It was then that the two monstrous cronies that White had brought with him attacked. And Buffy finally made up her mind. She had always trusted her internal instincts, and so far, they had always been right. 


	5. Truth

A/N: Thanks to: Lynsi, lakergirl, lolitaro, X5-467, nelita, luvspike/alec, and Khassa! You guys rock!  
  
As for yer questions...I really don't know if Jensen Ackles is acting in Smallville...I really haven't seen him on the show... And in this story...Alec's one of Manticore's top soldier!!! Yeh! Go Alec!!!  
  
Chapter Five: Truth  
  
Rupert Giles paced in front of the group of Potential Slayers that were scattered around the living room, waiting for him to speak. Dawn sat among them, along with Andrew, Robin Wood, Willow, Xander, and Anya. All of them were wearing the same anxious expressions.  
  
He had arrived in the Summers' home after conducting an incomplete research on the First Evil, only to find it empty of the current Slayers that was in need of the said information. Two current Slayers that were in grave danger. As he had read from one of the books he had kept safely under the shelter of the Magic Box, a certain ritual had to be performed before the First could be granted its full power. It was similar to a Summoning. No, it was a Summoning. A very difficult and complex Summoning that required very powerful magic. As far as he knew, the only magic that was capable enough of completing the ritual was dark magic. Even darker magic than the ones Willow had succumbed herself in a few months ago.  
  
Unfortunately for him, the book had a sort of enchantment on it, wherein it vanishes into dust the minute you finish reading it. And he, not being that good at memorizations, was trying his best to recall the contents of the book.  
  
"The ceremony entails a sacrifice," Giles said from memory. He had stopped pacing to look at his silent audience. "A sacrifice involving the blood of someone worthy enough."  
  
"Buffy," Robin supplied, understandingly.  
  
"Faith," Willow added, nodding. "Only a true Slayers' blood could be worthy enough."  
  
"But that's where you're wrong," Giles said thoughtfully. "The Hellmouth is located in Sunnydale High, and it is firmly shut down by a sort of circular metallic disc. Am I right?"  
  
"Right," Robin confirmed. As Sunnydale High's principal, he had committed to memory every inch of the school. The school that stood on top of the Mouth of Hell. The very reason on why Robin applied for the job. He was, what he called himself, a freelancer raised by his mother's Watcher. His mother was a Slayer. "It's embossed with several icons. I can't really remember what."  
  
"I do," Xander said, with a slight shudder. He had once been hung above it once by a beautiful demon girl that used his blood to try to open the Hellmouth. The demon failed of course. "There's a star in the center of it, and their a triangle in the middle of the star. That's all I can remember."  
  
Something clicked. "That's it!" Giles exclaimed, clapping his hands together in anticipation. "That star is known as the _Pentacle_. A symbol considered both divine and magical. It is the sign of beauty and perfection of the sacred feminine. Probably the reason why they need women to be sacrificed. Somehow, the Pentacle inscribed on the Hellmouth is acting as a keyhole. And they will use the blood of women as the key to open the Hellmouth."  
  
"What's the ceremony called?" Willow asked, interestedly.  
  
"The ritual is called the _Trimmagetron. The Blood of Three_." He paused and looked up into the terrified faces of the Potentials. "They need one more."  
  
"The questions is," Robin said, his gaze roaming around the sea of slayers. "Who?"  
  
It was then that Anya, the ex-vengeance demon, spoke up for the first time. She had remained silent all throughout the entire conversation, which, in Giles' book, was an impregnable feat. "They already have the third sacrifice." She said in an exasperated tone, as if they should've known this all along.  
  
"Why didn't you say anything before?" Giles yelped, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets. Maybe she was still a vengeance demon. Good glory, he almost had a heart attack there. "Who?"  
  
"A chimera," Anya said matter-of-factly. "You know, those supersoldiers you see on TV?"  
  
"Chimera?" Giles echoed blankly. He didn't watch a lot of TV, not anymore, anyway. He found nothing useful within that box of entertainment that everyone seemed to have taken a liking to. He relied more on books, written hard copies that spoke of nothing but the truth. The media of today's generation seemed to focus more on lies and rumors, and gossips. All of which that he, a man of old age, had no use of.  
  
"Transgenics," Willow said, her eyes as wide as saucers. "Their on international news. They're supposedly very dangerous."  
  
"Wait," Xander said to his ex-fiancée. "How do you know all of this?"  
  
"I have my sources," Anya said haughtily.  
  
"Why would they want a transgenic?" Robin wondered out loud, looking as confused as Giles felt. But just about.  
  
"I suspect that there is a rivalry between these chimeras and the Breeding Cult," Giles said. "They call themselves the 'Familiars'."  
  
"Aha!" Xander exclaimed. "That's it! Those Familiar guys! They're in charge of getting rid of the transies!"  
  
"Are these," Giles paused uncertainly. "—transies, good, or bad?"  
  
"They used to be bad," Willow said, shrugging. "But they aren't now."  
  
"Good enough for me," Giles said, standing up and heading over to the chest in which Buffy kept all her weapons. A few Potentials perked up as he threw it open revealing a numerous assortment of swords, crossbows, and daggers. "Take your pick, everybody. We're heading out."  
  
Alec stared down expressionlessly at the lifeless body of Ames White. A pool of blood surrounded his head, the neatly-placed bullet hole a perfect circle on the middle of his forehead. His scarlet robes intermingled freely with the Familiar's blood, and Alec savored in the horrendous sight.  
  
White was right, he was a killer. He may not be proud of it, but that was what he was made to be. It was in his genes. It was what he was trained to do. And look where that brought you. A taunting voice mocked in the back of his head as memories of Rachel flooded into his thoughts. You killed Rachel...  
  
"You killed him," a shocked voice said from behind him. He spun around to see the two unconscious bodies of the thugs White had brought with him. Buffy's hazel-brown eyes were wide with revulsion as she shook her head slowly. "I can't believe it."  
  
"With good reason," Alec said flatly.  
  
"Does that even matter?" Buffy asked, angrily. "You just ended that man's life. He may not be an innocent, but he may have a family waiting for him at home. Kids waiting for their father whose never coming back to them."  
  
Alec laughed mirthlessly. "He killed his own wife," he said, recalling what Max had told him, months ago when she had one of her infamous encounters with White. "And would've sacrificed his own son as well, if it wasn't for Max."  
  
Buffy said nothing.  
  
It was Spike who spoke up. "You're one of them transgenics, aren't you?"  
  
"Glad to know that I'm recognized," Alec said wryly, not surprised. They were after all, on worldwide news. Fame seemed to have been popular in Terminal City. It seems that they couldn't get enough of their gorgeous faces.  
  
"Transgenic?" Buffy repeated vacantly, confusion evident on her face.  
  
"Do you not watch the news, pet?" Spike asked incredulous and amused at the same time.  
  
"I don't have time for TV," Buffy snapped impatiently.  
  
"They're genetically enhanced supersoldiers," Spike supplied helpfully. "I saw the barcode on the back of his neck."  
  
"Explains the killing spree then," Buffy said disgustedly.  
  
Alec reigned in his temper, and replied in a calm voice. "I didn't choose to be what I am," he said. "I grew up in a military base, Buffy. I knew nothing of the world outside. All I knew was that if I didn't follow orders, I'd be taken away to be dissected."  
  
"Dissected?" Buffy echoed, paling.  
  
"If a tool doesn't work the way you want it to, you take it apart to find the inaccuracy." Alec replied emotionlessly. He didn't like to be reminded of his past life as it brought back too many horrific memories. Too many.  
  
Buffy was silent.  
  
"People change, I guess." She suddenly said, refusing to meet his gaze. "But you know what they say, you're past always catches up to you. Tonight, must be one of those moments." She smiled at Alec. It was restrained, but nevertheless, it was genuine. And that was enough for him.  
  
"So," Alec said, much more cheerful than before. "Are you going to tell me anything about yourself?"  
  
Buffy smiled again. "Maybe later. But right now, we gotta find our friends."  
  
"I think I know where they are," Spike said. "Sunnydale High. That's where the Hellmouth is."  
  
"Hellmouth?" This time, it was Alec's turn to be confused.  
  
"We'll explain on the way," Buffy said, preparing to leave. "We don't have much time left."

A/N: To all of you who have read Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code", I think you'd know where I got the whole Pentacle thing. :-) And I made some of the Trimmagetron stuff up...anywayz, please review!!! 


	6. To the Rescue

A/n: Thanks to: cheeky-chaos, serenia-sd, lakergirl, Jade-K, X5-467, and nelita!!! I luv you guys!!! MWAH!!!!  
  
Chapter Eight: To the Rescue  
  
Lurking in the shadows, just outside Sunnydale High, Alec emitted a sudden jolt, as if electrocuted by only a few milliseconds. It was as if someone had shot him with a tranquilizer dart straight through the chest, freezing him, warming him, calming him. It was a strangely pleasant feeling, but it was quickly disrupted by Spike's lilting British voice, whispering from beside him as they crouched underneath a large oak tree. "Who's bloody idea was it to let Buffy go inside alone, and _act as bait_?"  
  
"We made no such idea about 'acting as bait'," Alec replied with a slight frown. Most people in the movies might think of it as an ingenious plan, but in reality, it was practically ineffective. "She ran in first and those Bringer guys grabbed her."  
  
"We should've gone after her," Spike said shaking his head in disapproval.  
  
"If we did, we would've been caught too," Alec pointed out. "When a Unit mate is detained and incarcerated by the enemy, secrete and formulate the preeminent plan to retrieve the objective."  
  
"Rule in your soldier's book?"  
  
"Number 178."  
  
Spike merely shook his head in disbelief. "So you got a plan hidden there somewhere in that genetically enhanced brain of yours?"  
  
Alec grinned wickedly. "Yeah. We break in. Get our girls. Then we run like hell."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me!" Spike yelped. "Can you count? There are only two of us, and a dozen of them."  
  
"No," another British voice spoke. "There are approximately twenty eight of us. I think that should be enough."  
  
Alec whirled around and was met by an elderly man with graying hair, and spectacled eyes. Behind him were more than a few girls. "Ah, these must be the Potentials you were telling me about," Alec observed.  
  
A guy with a black eye-patch stared at him. "Are you supposed to be a transgenic? You look like you just stepped out of one of Cordy's fashion magazine!"  
  
The girls giggled, and Alec grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment. And besides," he winked at the pretty red-head standing beside him. She blushed a sweet scarlet. "There's more to me than my looks."  
  
The girls giggled again, and Xander rolled his eyes, ahem, eye. "Whatever," he muttered. "Let's just get on with this rescue mission."  
  
"Sure, if you'd like to call it that." Spike said pessimistically. "We're walking into our funeral."  
  
Alec smiled cheerfully. "How 'bout turning this funeral to a party then?" he turned around to the small group that had gathered. "You guys packing?"  
  
They raised up daggers, blades, swords, and crossbows. Alec raised an eyebrow. "No guns?" he asked, blankly. The elderly man shook his head. Alec shrugged, pulled out his Glock 18, and loaded it. It gave out a satisfying click. He smiled. "Let's get this party started, people."

The circle of Familiars (as what Faith had informed her about) had started to rotate in counterclockwise direction, with the hairless priestess standing in the interior of the ring, murmuring under her breath. The Bringers, although eyeless, had their heads turned in their direction, blindly watching their prisoners with instinctive wariness.  
  
Buffy glowered at them, trying not to lose control of her anger. She couldn't believe that she allowed herself to be captured so easily. The damned beings were stronger than she thought they were. She wondered what was taking Spike and Alec so long. At the though of Alec, she fixed her eyes on the girl across the room. Max, as Alec had called her.  
  
The first thing that had came into Buffy's mind when she saw her, was that she was beautiful. Beautiful in a way that was utterly flawless. Must be in the genes. She thought wryly. But that wasn't what caught her attention the most. It was her eyes. They flickered with pain. Pains from the past. Pains that she herself was familiar with. Pains that, Buffy knew, was very hard to get rid of. Unlike, Alec who was able to mask his feelings very well, Max had a hard time reigning in her temper. Her mouth was set on a firm scowl, and she glaring daggers at the priestess.  
  
"I just wanna say sorry," Faith suddenly spoke, breaking her reverie. Buffy's head twisted to the left where the younger Slayer was standing. Her eyes shone with sincerity and earnestness that caught Buffy completely off guard. She has never said that before. Buffy thought, stunned. Nor had she ever thought that Faith would say it. "I don't expect you to forgive me – believe me, I don't even forgive myself." She laughed bitterly. "I just thought – that if we are going to die. You deserve to know that I wasn't proud for the things that I've done."  
  
Buffy nodded, appreciating every ounce of authenticity that Faith had placed in her words. But she can never forgive her. Never. "Thank you," Buffy said. "But we're not going to die. Not yet anyway." She frowned. The chanting had stopped, and the Familiars had stopped moving. They stood frozen on their designated spots, and only Gabrielle moved. She broke away from the circle, moving towards Buffy. In her right hand was an empty glass cylinder, and in her other hand, she held a dagger.  
  
The Priestess came to a halt in front of Buffy, her colorless lips forming an ardent smile. "I have been told that the blood of a Slayer possesses an ancient magic. A magic so powerful, it could heal thousands. And kill millions." Gabrielle laughed, mirthlessly, and Buffy squirmed, trying to break free of the chains that held both her hands and feet to the wall. She was barely able to move. The cuffs were solid-steel. Too sturdy even for a Slayer to break.  
  
Knowing that she had no way of escaping, Buffy settled for shooting the Priestess a poisonous glare. She ignored it, raising the blade with a ceremonious air, and cutting her risk in a swift downward motion. Buffy hardly felt the pain, her mind deeply centered on the question on what they were going to do with it. Gabrielle captured the falling droplets of blood into the glass cylinder. She quickly did the same with Faith and Max. Although, unlike Buffy, both did not surrender quietly.  
  
"It's your blood that's going to be spilled later on tonight, you freaking bald, unfashionable, bitch." Faith spat struggling against her chains. Buffy would've found this insult amusing if the circumstances weren't so severe. Faith's blood intermingled with her own, the cylinder only leaving enough space for Max's blood.  
  
Max took a slightly softer route, saying her piece in only five words. "He's going to kill you." By that, Buffy knew she meant Alec. And by that, Buffy knew there was past regarding these Familiars and the transgenics.  
  
Gabrielle smiled. "The rest of the world will be dead by then."  
  
Buffy froze.  
  
And Gabrielle took the last needed droplets of blood and started the main part of the ritual. Buffy then knew that they were going to summon the First Evil. And Buffy then knew that the world may not survive this time.  
  
Spike followed the male transgenic through the dark, dilapidated corridors of Sunnydale High, moving through the broken-down pieces of concrete, and dilapidated lockers that were strewn across the dust-covered floor. Behind him, he could sense the others following closely – and the fear that radiated from the young girls.  
  
But that was the last thing on his mind. Only one person remained inside his thoughts. A certain blonde-haired Slayer that had captured his non- existent heart. The Slayer whom he had sacrificed so much for. The Slayer who had brought him to the difficult decision of getting his soul back. Now he could feel. And there was no doubt on how he felt for Buffy. No doubt about it at all.  
  
"They're in the basement?" Alec asked in slight surprise as they continued down the hallway, towards the entrance that led to the basement.  
  
"How did you know?" Wood asked from beside Spike, his dark skin appearing almost black in the dimness of the corridor.  
  
"I could hear chanting," Alec said.  
  
Giles gasped from somewhere behind them. "The ceremony must have begun!"  
  
The minute they heard this single phrase, the whole group had hurried on in a much faster pace than before. As the saying goes, time is gold, or rather, in appropriateness to the situation: _time is blood_.  
  
He recalled what he said earlier outside of the school. '_We're walking into our funeral_.' The chants grew louder, and Spike made a final decision in his head. He was going to do all that it took to get Buffy and the others out of there alive. Even if that meant dying his second death.  
  
A/N: Please leave a review!!! :-) 


	7. Fight

A/N: Wow! Chapter six received a hell of a lot reviews!! I love you guys!!! Mwah!!! Here's another chap for you! ENJOY!!!s

Chapter Seven: Fight

Max watched in both fear and fascination as the Familiar's voices rose to a higher volume, which was a tad bit deafening for her enhanced hearing abilities. Gabrielle had moved away from the center, and was now sprinkling their blood onto the metallic disc. Her vision zeroed in onto the 'Mouth of Hell.' It was starting to move in a counterclockwise direction, and the small circle in the middle clinked open.

The member of the Breeding Cult stopped chanting to observe the strange occurrence that was taking place right before their very eyes. A jet of bright light flashed from within, and the robed figures staggered backwards. However, Gabrielle stood her ground. A malicious smile forming on her ugly tattooed face.

There was a loud explosion, followed by another flash of blinding light. Max turned her head away, squeezing her eyelids shut. The basement was suddenly swathed in a fiery warmth. Her eyes snapped open when the ground started to vibrate. It wasn't an earthquake-kind of shaking. More of a vibrating rumble.

She surveyed the scene in front of her. The rest of the Familiars had retreated to the back alongside the Bringers, their hoods falling from their heads revealing thug-like faces. Gabrielle had fallen to her knees in front of the Hellmouth, muttering rapidly under her breath. A misty sort of fog was rising from the now open circle. Max's curiosity on where it was coming from was growing steadily. Did that opening really lead to Hell? And what _was _inside Hell?

Her question was soon answered when several figures emerged from the opening. This time, Gabrielle's face was not of utter satisfaction but of utter terror. The creatures had grayish scaly skin, pointed yellow fangs, razor-sharp claws, elf-like ears, and blood-red eyes. To sum it all up. They were extremely ugly. And from the looks of it, extremely dangerous.

"Oh shit," Faith swore. "Uber-vamps!"

They stood there for a moment, glancing around with narrowed eyes. The biggest one of them, leered at Gabrielle, and lunged at her. The priestess staggered to her feet, desperate for escape. It was a futile attempt. The demon pounced on her and clawed at her ferociously. Blood spurted everywhere. The Familiars, seeing the downfall of their leader, exchanged looks of fear before running for the exit. The monsters raced after them, leaving only a few to stare at the prisoners. Max, Buffy and Faith.

Dawn stared at the back of Spike's head (his bleached-blonde head to be exact) as they skirted through the silent corridor with a sense of ease and calmness. Whenever she was around Spike, she felt safe – protected, the way she felt around Buffy. In a way, she considered Spike as the older brother she never had. Whenever Buffy wasn't around, he was there as the 'proxy sibling', and he never failed to look after her when danger lurked around the corner.

It was kind of funny. The Big Bad turned Big Brother.

The group neared the basement entrance, and pretty soon, they were descending the short staircase. Flashlights clicked on, and the beams of pale light shone through the dark hallway. It was then that the ground started to pulsate.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Spike blurted out startled.

"The signal that means we're late for the party," Alec said, with a grim smile.

"Fashionably late is good though, right?" Willow asked feebly.

Alarmed gasps echoed through the room when the doors slammed open and Familiars scurried out, a number of uber-vamps chasing after them. _That, _was when the _real _party started.

The vampires advanced towards them, three towards Buffy and Faith, and two towards Max. They were moving slowly, as if relishing the sight of their helpless victims. Buffy glowered at them, and tugged pointlessly at her chains.

"Damn it, you fucking uber-vamps!" Faith yelled at the top of her lungs. "Forget about what I said about not caring if I live or die. I. Don't. Wanna. Die." She then let out a string of swear words. Buffy was mildly impressed by her wide vocabulary. An impatient shout coming from Max, distracted Buffy from Faith's wails.

"It's about time you got here!" the dark-haired transgenic yelled. Everyone's attention (big bad vamps included) whipped towards the entrance way, where three very familiar people emerged. Spike and Robin immediately launched onto the vampires who had earned their attention, while Alec worked his lock-picking skills on their chains, starting with Max's.

"You're knight in shining armor to the rescue, milady." Alec joked, as Max's hands and feet finally came free, and she too joined the fight. Alec set on freeing the two Chosen Ones. Buffy watched from her place, as the monstrous creatures fought with unwavering strength. Spike's face had contorted to its vampiric façade, which meant that he was beyond pissed. Of course, this didn't faze the uber-vamps.

"Thank you," Buffy said as she, after Faith, was finally released, before pulling out her dagger, which was strapped on her leg beneath her jeans. She then proceeded to stab the nearest monster. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a few of the creatures falling dead on the ground, courtesy of her friends. One after the other, the uber-vamps fell, and soon, there were none left.

The light coming from the Hellmouth darkened, and the ground stopped quaking.

"Whew," Faith said, running a hand threw her hair. "Glad that's over."

"I'm afraid, that it has only begun."

Buffy turned around towards the voice and saw that Giles had entered the room. Behind him were the Potential slayers. Buffy exhaled a sigh of relief when she saw Dawn standing beside Andrew. She almost thought she had lost her...and with a deep breath, she summoned the courage to ask. "Did we lose anyone?"

The room was filled with sudden silence. And many of the Potentials looked down. Buffy's heart contracted, as no body refused to meet her gaze. It was Andrew. "Ye-yeah. T-two. And Xander had his eye poked into a bloody pulp."

Buffy nodded. She had to face the facts:

This was war.

And there would always be casualties in war.


	8. An Apparition

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys ROCK!!! YEAH!!!

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It's time to see what's going on back at TC...

Chapter Eight: An Apparition

Terminal City's headquarters was alive with activity and much, much noise. The current stand-in 'leader' stood near the bank of computers that Dix had set up, staring over Luke's shoulder, into one of the bigger television screens. A news broadcast was running on the set, and surprise, surprise, it was about them – the 'transies'.

The glowing screen showed a woman – a reporter, standing in front of a large, elegant, expensively-built building, dodging a great deal of paparazzi and police officers. Apparently, something big was taking place inside the official-looking edifice. Jewel instructed Dix to increase the volume. It was then that the reporter started to deliver her news.

"_Good evening, Seattle. Tonight, the Seattle city council is presently holding an exceedingly imperative meeting on the issue that has sparked controversy all throughout the country: the TRANSGENICS. As our sources tell us, these genetically-engineered killing machines that were designed and grown in a laboratory somewhere in Gilette, Wyoming are plotting against our very own city..."_

"Yeah right," Jewel snorted. "The only people who are 'plotting' here, is them."

"You can say that again," Dix said shaking his head. "These government officials want nothing more than to wipe away our existence in this planet. Our disappearance in this world, courtesy of them of course, could mean millions of dollars for them."

"Talk about corrupt," Luke chimed in.

"..._the Seattle City Council is, at the moment making a decision on what their actions will be towards this menace. These so-called freaks are presently living, on government territory that they have claimed as their own. The name 'Transgenic Central' has titled their city. Imagine that! Animals having their own city!" _ The woman laughed mirthlessly.

Jewel's face hardened. "We didn't choose to be what we are," she spat under her breath. If Alec and Max were here, they would've stalked over to the woman and they would've given her a good black-eye. And possibly a few broken ribs too.

"That woman is getting uglier by the minute," Dix commented, his eyes narrowing in anger.

They watched the TV, (fuming silently) as the front doors of the building swung open. Men and women dressed in business suits emerged. Most of them were wearing the same grim but determined faces. _Uh-oh. Looks bad. _Jewel thought. The reported hurried over to the nearest council member and asked: "_Good evening, sir. Could you please tell us the results of your meeting?"_

The middle-aged man, smiled weakly, and stared straight into the camera, his bright brown eyes glinting with malice. "_These transgenics are an insult to humanity, and a danger to us all. They cannot be allowed to live any longer. We have reached a final decision: Genocide." _

"Oh no," Jewel clamped a hand over her mouth, as she exchanged horrified gazes with her fellow transgenics.

"So," Max spoke up. "What were those things?"

They were back at the Summers' home. Spike, Robin, and Faith had hung back at Sunnydale High's basement to keep an eye on things while the others 'played nurse' and did some research on the 'freakin' uber-vamps' as what Faith had been prone to calling the vile monsters.

"Turok-Hans," Buffy instantly replied, looking up from Willow's laptop.

"A demonic clan of sorts...who guards the Hellmouth from outside intruders." Willow continued after Buffy, taking a seat beside the petite blonde. Most of the Scooby Gang were seated on the table, while the rest relaxed on sofas, couches, and on the floor. All were listening with rapt attention to what the 'researchers' had to say on their recent battle with the Turok-Hans, as they now know.

The British Watcher slowly sipped his cup of tea, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "I presume that these Turok-Hans are under the control of the First?"

"Yup," Willow confirmed with a nod of her head. "And when the Familiar-guys did that ritual-thingy, they granted the Turok-Hans full access to the outside world. Our world."

"And I presume that the First sent them to do so?" Giles asked, waiting for clarification.

"Exactly!"

"Wait a minute!" all heads turned to Alec who was gesturing wildly, looking very confused. Max struggled not to laugh. He looked all too comical. It was during times like these that she really wished she had a camera.

"Yes?" Giles questioned.

"Could anybody please tell us what the First is?" Alec asked.

"Of course," Buffy said, and went off with the explanation. "The First, is the First Evil. Literally, speaking. And well, that pretty much explains most of it..."

"Most of it," Giles admonished.

"Whatever." Came Buffy's easy reply.

"The First Evil is presumably very powerful, and he or she...we really don't know...could very well destroy the entire human race..." Giles paused at Max's stare. _Does this mean we, transgenics will be spared? _She asked in her head.

"...and everything the human race ever created."

_I guess not. _

"Okay everyone," Buffy announced, clapping her hands twice to get every body's attention.. "I'm giving you all the time to rest and recover for the big stuff tomorrow. We'll be leaving right after breakfast. So be sure to get your weapons nice and ready."

The Potential slayers all stood up, stretching sore limbs and helping their friends with their injuries. A few made a beeline for the kitchen, while the others headed out into the backyard to do some sparring sessions, with Kennedy in the lead. It seemed that the girl had a knack for teaching.

Willow and Giles resumed their researching, accompanied by an interested Dawn and Xander. Andrew and Anya had gone out after the potentials, possibly to give them a few facts on what they were about to face. Although both rarely had much information to spare.

Alec looked around the living room for Max, and found her nowhere to be seen. "Hey Buffy," he called out to the eldest slayer who was affectionately polishing a wicked-looking scythe.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Max?"

"I think she climbed the roof. She said something about needing some space."

"Thanks," Alec muttered, moving up the wooden staircase, already knowing what Max was doing upstairs. It seemed that when it came to 'thinking', she loved high places. The Space Needle for instance. He reached the second floor, and found a wide-open window at the end of the carpeted hallway. He smiled and started for the window. Just before he reached it, a familiar voice called out behind him.

"_Alec."_

A voice that sounded like tinkling bells...such a beautiful voice.... _No...it couldn't be..._

Nevertheless, he forced himself to turn around. And there, standing in the middle of the hallway was the person that had haunted his dreams for more than year...

"_Rachel."_

A/N: Hahaha!! Rude of me to leave it like that!!! sigh I love cliffhangers!!! They add some mystery to the story...leaves the readers thinking...but of course, to the Buffy fans, I'm sure you'd know how 'Rachel' got there. And I'm sure you guys noticed how she said 'Alec', instead of 'Simon'. Don't worry, I'll explain it in the next chapter :-) Review please!!!


	9. Toying with the Supernatural

A/N: THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!!! :-) luv ya'll!!!

X5-467 and X5r211= Maybe Max will run into her own ghosts...who knows? ;-)

Gangstagirl452= Rachel is dead. She's a ghost in this story...PEACE!

And to everyone else!!: this is MA!!!

Chapter Nine: Toying with the Supernatural

Alec stood frozen, staring in shock and confusion at the girl that he first loved. The girl that hade him spend a week in Psy Ops. The girl that made him wallow in guilt for several months straight. The mere thought of her made his heart ache. And yet, here she was, standing in front of him, looking very much alive.

"Rachel," he said again, blinking several times, trying to make sure that he was not hallucinating.

"Hello Simon," she said, smiling a row of pearly white teeth. "Or should I say Alec?"

Realization dawned, and Alec's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He had to remind himself that he was in Sunnydale, home to the Hellmouth. And now that, that thought was firmly plastered in his head, awareness came hurtling back towards him. All traces of guilt, and pain gone.

It appears that the supernatural was toying with him.

"Who are you?" he asked cagily.

"I'm Rachel," she replied innocently. "I'm sure you remember me, do you Simon?"

Alec remained silent, not willing to give in to her sweet smile...

"Of course you do," she continued, her smile growing wider. "Remember that Snoopy song I did on the piano? You loved that didn't you?"

Alec's stomach tightened. _Of course I do, Rachel. _

"And the time we spent in the pool?" she asked. "That was _so _romantic!"

_You looked so beautiful Rachel...so pure...so naive..._

Then Rachel's face hardened, her smile growing cold. It was a look that was completely foreign on her usually bright, and carefree face. "But all that, were lies." She said. "Everything about us was a lie..."

"No it wasn't," Alec whispered under his breath, forgetting for a moment that this really wasn't Rachel. He was swept back into the painful memories of his past. "I loved you. But I was under orders...I couldn't do anything."

"You betrayed us!" she spat, fire dancing in her bright brown eyes. "You tried to kill my father...and if it weren't for me...he'd be dead...and it's _all your fault._"

"No," Alec murmured. "No!"

"_How could you be so heartless Alec?"_

"No!" Alec yelled in denial and swung his fist at the nearest object, angry tears streaming down his face.

"Alec!" 

He turned around and saw Max climbing in through the window, her face a mass of shock and bewilderment.

When he turned the other way....

Rachel was gone.

Max gazed at Alec, surprised at the display of emotions that he was showing her right now. Anger, regret, sorrow, and deep, deep pain all rolled into one. And it hurt her to see him like this. So vulnerable and confused. The only time she had seen him like this was during the Rachel incident. When Robert Berrisford tried luring him back into the Manor to kill him. It was Max who was able to save Alec's ass.

And it was Max who saw him like this.

"Alec?" she asked gently, glancing at the large dent on the wall where he slammed his fist into, and his now masked face of blankness. It was his 'soldier face', and the one he had on now would've done Renfro proud. "What happened?"

He looked at her slowly, his hazel-green eyes glimmering with something unreadable. "It was Rachel, Max. She made an apparition."

"What?" Max asked, puzzled. "I meant, what'd she say?"

"She accused me of lying to her," Alec said, his voice slightly shaking. "And of betraying her."

_Betrayer. Traitor. _Max fought impulse to shiver. Those had to be her two least favorite words. Being dubbed as the '_Traitorous '09ers', _she understood how Alec felt. She too had felt the sting of those words before.

"Are you sure that it was her?" Max asked, curiously. They were in Sunnyhell, after all.

Alec shook his head, looking her straight in the eye. "That's what makes me feel so stupid, Maxie...for actually believing that it was her...when it really...wasn't." he finished feebly.

"The First," Max murmured under her breath, cursing the Evil for doing this to her- to her erm...friend. Her gaze tumbled down to his hands, which were trembling, and her eyes widened. _First effects of seizures. _She thought, fumbling around her leather jacket for her Tryptophan. Unfortunately she couldn't find them.

"Agent Sandoval was right," Alec said in a tone so soft that Max barely heard him. "I am weak."

"No you're _not,_" Max snapped furiously. And just as she said it, Alec collapsed to the floor in a fit of seizures.

--------------------------------------

Jewel scurried around the Command Center, grabbing the usual equipment one would need during a quick ride to some tiny place called Sunnydale. After hearing the news, she had immediately dialed Max's number. Unfortunately, all she received was static. Then they tried Alec's cell, and received absolutely nothing. So Jewel made the immediate decision of going to where ever the two transgenics where and get them herself.

She loaded her precious M16, and tucked it safely in the waistband of her jeans. She checked her mobile phone, making sure that the battery was still full, and did a swift count through her cash. Fifty dollars. Not much. But it'd have to do. Besides, she didn't think that she'd be going shopping any time soon.

"Hey Dix!" she yelled behind her back, as she climbed onto her motorbike.

"Yeah?" the transhuman asked, as he monitored the computers, carefully keeping tabs on the news. Mole stood beside him, puffing his cigar gleefully, as he was now in charge over TC. Not that Jewel didn't trust him. It was simply the fact that Mole tended to get a bit violent towards ordinaries, and would've probably declared war himself, if it weren't for the reprimanding of his superior officers, Jewel, Max, and Alec.

"Call me the second you hear anything more about the damned genocide thingy, alright?"

"No problem, missy." Dix said flipping a thumbs-up. "And get back as soon as you can. I don't think TC'll be able to stand on its own without its three topmost leaders."

"Don't worry, I will." Jewel promised and signaled for the gates to be opened. Dalton, a young X6 with spiky blonde hair pulled them up, and she sped out into the night.

A/N: Okay, i know that was a bit confusing..the alec and rachel part..but to further explain things...Rachel's a ghost..the First to be exact, and she's simply playing with Alec....REVIEW!


	10. Fight Fire with Fire

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed....thanks to everyone who reviewed....thanks to everyone who reviewed...is that enough thank yous already? Keep reviewing people!!! ;-)

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!!

Chapter Ten: Fight Fire with Fire

Max looked down at Alec, as he silently gulped down the glass of milk she had hurriedly snatched from the kitchen. Buffy and the others had been more than stunned when she suddenly blurred into the kitchen and out in less than three seconds without any explanation. The petite blonde had trooped up after her and was about to scold her for running around the house, but had stopped the minute she saw Alec lying flat on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

Max had then shooed Buffy away, telling her that she'd explain everything later. The slayer had nodded and had left, her face splattered with curiosity. Max had been glad that Buffy hadn't pushed in asking what was wrong with Alec, because Max knew that Alec wouldn't have wanted anyone to see the state of weakness that had overcome him. 

"Feeling better?" she asked, stroking his hair slowly. Both were leaning against the corridor wall, legs spread out in front of them.

"Yeah," he responded with a grimace. Luckily, Alec had brought along his own pack of Trytophan, and she had been able to get it out from his jacket pocket after much difficulty. "Seizures are like hell." He paused, a thoughtful look on his handsome face before adding. "Although it was pretty much worth it...at least I get to sit here beside you with you comforting me..."

Max flushed red, and Alec grinned impishly. "You know, when you look at it that way...seizures don't sound so bad after all."

"Shut up," she reprimanded through gritted teeth. To her surprise, he did, and they spent the next few seconds in companionable silence.

It was Max who first broke the silence. "Hey Alec," she said, glancing at him. "I'm sorry. You know...about Rachel."

"Not your fault," he said flatly, and Max cringed. She should've known better than to bring up Rachel. She knew it was a touchy subject for him. But she had already started it, and there was no looking back now.

"It wasn't your fault either, you know." Max snapped. "You were under orders...Manticore's sick like that. Probably the reason on why I escaped in the first place. Probably the reason why I dealt with all those 'traitor' remarks."

Alec's features softened. "You're right," he agreed, surprising her yet again. "It wasn't my fault, but if you just think about it, I could've saved her..."

"No you couldn't have," Max said bitterly. "Manticore would've gone in and killed her just the same. No witnesses and all that." She looked up from the spot on the floor where she had kept her gaze all throughout the conversation, and asked almost timidly. "It hurt didn't it? Having to lose someone you loved for the first time?"

Alec looked at her in what was almost surprise. "Yeah it did."

Max hung her head, her dark hair falling around her face like a curtain.

"But past's past, Maxie. I love someone else now."

She glanced up. "Really?" she asked, hope shining in her eyes.

"Really," he confirmed. And with that, he crushed his lips to hers, fiery passion enveloping them. Alec felt Max's mouth open under his, and in a pleasuring instant, she was kissing him back, running her tongue on his lower lip with one sensual motion, as her arms circled his neck, pulling him closer.

They only stopped for air, which was five minutes later. (Yes, X5s could hold their breath for that long), and that was when they realized that they were not alone in the hallway.

"Ahem," A voice cleared her throat from the top of the staircase. It was Buffy, and she was wearing a very amused smile on her face. "If your all done with make-out session, and before you can further into porn, I just want to let you guys know that we need you down in the living room. You have a visitor."

* * *

Jewel's bike screeched to a stop in front of an average-looking house on Revello Drive. Dix had pinpointed their location here. Although it was already four-thirty in the morning, their house was still brightly-lit, and with her enhanced hearing, she could hear conversations going inside the house. She needn't be skeptical if this _was _the right house, because Dix had never been wrong before.

Besides, Alec's motorcycle was parked right outside.

Patting her hip to make sure that her gun was still there, she hopped off her bike and made her way up the front porch and pressed the doorbell. The door instantly opened, to reveal an elderly man wearing glasses. He stared at her with much apprehension.

"Um hey," Jewel said slowly. "My name's Jewel and I'm looking for Max and Alec?"

An 'ah' look came upon the man's face and he smiled. "One of the X5s I presume," he said in a lilting British accent. She nodded, not even asking how he knew. _Must be my striking looks. _She joked inside her head. "Allow me to introduce myself: Rupert Giles. Come in, come in."

She stepped into the house, and found herself inside a living room stacked with various weapons. Primitive ones as well. She recognized only a few, being more fully knowledgeable about the more modern kind of artillery. Maybe she should snatch a few..._Mole would love these. _She thought with a grin, but considered against it, knowing that the lizard-man loved the more explosive kind.

"Buffy, would you be so kind to call Max and Alec?" Giles requested a short blonde woman that was polishing a nasty looking sword. Buffy smiled at her briefly before trotting up the stairs.

"Would you like anything?" Giles asked, gesturing towards the kitchen where more than a dozen teenage girls were gathered talking in low voices while eating. "Tea? Coffee?"

"No thanks," Jewel said absently, more curious on why there were so many girls here, and why there were so many weapons lying around being polished by ditzy-looking blondes.

Giles seemed to notice her curiosity because he nodded. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. But none that can't be answered by your friends. They've already seen a great deal regarding the er- strangeness of this town."

Before she could ask more on what this 'strangeness' might be, her two superiors came bounding down the stairs, inquiring looks on their faces. "Jewel." Alec greeted her with a grin. Max followed suit.

"Nice to see that the two of you are still in one piece," she commented dryly and motioned for them to come closer. The pair exchanged a glance, immediately sensing that something was wrong, and they slid closer to her.

"Giles, Buffy." Alec nodded at the two who were looking at them in mild interest. "May we have a moment, please?"

"Certainly," Giles said and the two disappeared into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Max instantly asked, her chocolate-brown eyes glimmering with worry.

"The Seattle government is asserting war against us," Jewel informed them, her eyebrows knotting together in distress. She almost wished she was back at Manticore. Not having to form plans and such, only to carry out orders. And now, she was more than glad that she was back with _the _leaders of TC. "Genocide."

Alec swore under his breath, and Max groaned. "No."

"Its all over the news," Jewel said her face a heap of anxiety. "We're guessing that they're going to attack sometime next week. They can't attack now, 'coz their gonna need reinforcements. Apparently, they're not taking any chances. We are after all, genetically engineered killing machines." She sighed. "What're we going to do?"

"We fight back," Alec said bluntly.

"But there are only, what? Three hundred of us?" Jewel asked, doing a quick count in her head. "If they manage to seek help from other countries..." she trailed off helplessly.

"We'll manage," Alec said decisively. "We've got enough gear to go to war. Besides we're genetically engineered killing machines, remember?"

"Right," Max agreed, although her eyes betrayed her worry and dubiousness. Jewel knew the reason on why she wasn't voicing her worries. It was the fact that there was no way around this one. They had to fight fire with fire.

A/N: One word people...REVIEW.


	11. Heat

A/N: thanks for the reviews and suggestions!!! you guys are AMAZING!!! Keep on reading and you'll find out the answers to your questions!!! :-)

_Chapter Eleven: Heat_

Buffy paced in her bedroom, her mind swirling with so many thoughts, so many concerns, so many uncertainties. They were going to be facing the biggest battle of their lives a few hours from now. Her years of training was going to be put to the test. This was the Big One.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone sitting down loudly – on the roof.

A small smile graced her face, as she figured out who it was. Unlocking her bedroom window, she climbed out of it and up the roof with effortless grace. There, sitting near the edge was Max. She was gazing out into the distance, her dark brown hair billowing behind her courtesy of the light breeze.

"Hey." The X5 greeted her without turning around.

"Hey," Buffy replied easily, flopping down beside her.

For a few seconds, the two of them simply stared at the not-so-beautiful scenery that was Sunnydale in companionable silence.

It was comforting, sitting there, just thinking. Now Buffy knew why Max had such a fondness for high open places like the roof. The stillness was consoling, and it somehow reassured her about her unenthusiastic thoughts of tomorrow's events.

"Did you ever wonder how life would be if you were normal?" Max asked softly.

"Yeah," Buffy replied without hesitation. "If I were normal, so much danger would be gone from my life. Being Chosen was just about the hardest thing that ever happened to me...even until now." She wrapped her arms around her legs, seeking warmth as memories of her first years of being the Slayer came rushing back into her head. "Could you believe that I burned my own school?"

"Not all that hard to believe," Max said with a small laugh. "I torched Manticore myself. The place where I was born...where I lived eight years of my life...it may have been Hell's Kitchen, but nevertheless, it was still my home."

Buffy nodded dismally. "Because of me, my friends' lives are always at risk. And being the Slayer – I've been always drawn to the wrong people. My ex-boyfriend – Angel, a vampire with a soul once turned into the nasty-blood-loving monster called Angelus." Buffy's eyes saddened. "Plunging that sword into his heart had to be the most painful feeling that I had ever felt."

"I know how you feel," Max sympathized, as pain reflected against her brown irises. "My brother Ben – Alec's clone once went on this killing spree. Pulling out people's teeth..."

Buffy cringed. "Amateur dentistry eh?"

Max smiled weakly. "I guess you could call it that. He sorta went psycho. But hey, he's still my brother. And I still loved him. But the only way that he could be saved was either he went back to Manticore or...I killed him myself." A solitary tear slipped down Max's cheek. "I snapped his neck."

The Slayer gulped down the bile that was rising in her throat. She had never realized that she and Max had so much in common. Their lives were almost similar, save for the fact that they lived in totally different worlds.

"Slayers usually don't live past their eighteenth birthdays," Buffy told the dark-haired woman beside her. "And I almost didn't...I died while battling with the Master, an ancient vampire almost impossible to slay. If it wasn't for Xander..." she trailed off, smiling at the thought of one of her bestest friends.

"You died?" Max asked weakly. "I can't believe it...I died too."

Buffy's eyes were wide. Maybe they were twins or something? Maybe they even shared the same fate...or sorta the same fate...so far, all the things that had happened to them before were comparable...strange...very strange...

Before she could share this strange thought to Max, her mobile phone rang. "Excuse me," she said, fumbling for her phone.

"Hello?" She grumbled, annoyed for the interference.

"B?"

It was Faith. Buffy straightened up. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing much," Faith answered, her voice carrying her usual 'I-don't-really-care-drop-me-into-the-hornet's-nest-what-the-hell' tone that it usually did. "Spike just found this big shiny red scythe sticking out of the stone. He tried pullin' it out, but he couldn't. Said that the Chosen One was the only one capable of pullin' it out."

Buffy frowned. "Well, _you're _a Chosen One too. Why not just pull it out yourself?"

"Just waitin' for your permission, B."

Buffy smiled. Faith sure had come a long way. "You got it."

"Cool – oh, and by the way. Spike's heading back there – said he needed to tell you sumthin' before the fight with the Big Bad begins. Said it was really important – and that he needed to tell you before anythin' happens to him."

And Faith hung up.

"What'd she call about?" Max asked, curiously.

Buffy was still staring at her phone. "She said Spike wanted to tell me something-- important."

* * *

"Awesome!" Jewel exclaimed, her bright blue eyes shining with admiration as Dawn recounted to her about Buffy's many adventures. The young transgenic had found her way into the kitchen, looking for some 'food for thought', and was immediately crowded around by the potentials, bombarding her with a number of questions about being a super soldier, as Max and Alec weren't too keen on telling them about their transgenic-history.

Jewel however, was more than willing to tell them her stories from the past _if _they trade her with stories of their own. Now, she sat in the kitchen, among the potentials and the Slayer's sister, gulping down a variety of junk foods (food that she had never eaten in her life, as Manticore served them only 'balanced diets', and as TC was short on them), her discussion with Max and Alec regarding the 'war' momentarily forgotten.

"You mean, she died _twice?_" Jewel shook her head in disbelief. "Amazing."

Dawn nodded somberly. "She saved us all."

Jewel swallowed the rest of her soda, before spluttering it all out. "What is that freakin' smell?" she scrunched up her face, as a sweet, sticky smell floated into the room. Everyone in the kitchen turned to look at her, all sporting puzzled expressions.

"What smell?" Kennedy asked, sniffing the air. "I don't smell anything."

"Me neither," Dawn said shaking her head.

Jewel's eyes narrowed, and suddenly, they widened. "Oh shit," she swore, clapping a hand on her forehead, as she glanced around fervently – searching for something – or rather, some_one. _

"Where the hell is Max?" She asked, finally figuring out what that scent was. And slowly, she was panicking. Things could get ugly when an X5 female was in heat. Especially if there was another X5 male hanging around.

"What -?" Dawn was about to ask, when a deafening crash sounded in the living room. Everyone instantaneously rushed out of the kitchen, with Jewel in front, her expression panicked. They entered the living room, only to see Max approaching a very astonished bleached-blonde man dressed in a leather duster, with a sultry expression on her face.

Alec was standing on top of the stairs, his face going from furious to confused. Max was inches from the blonde man, and after milliseconds of deciding, the scent of Max's pheromones finally won him out, and he trudged down the steps, one by one, a look of utter fierceness on his handsome face.

_Uh-oh. _Jewel thought with a grimace. _Not good. _

* * *

Spike stared at Max, in total bewilderment. Was she – _seducing _him? _What the bloody hell is going on here? _He tried saying out loud, but found that he couldn't. His lips were clamped shut by pure shock. The Potential slayers had gathered outside the kitchen door, all at loss on what to do. A beautiful raven-haired girl was standing in front of them, and she seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on.

And as for Alec - . He stood on top of the staircase, his hazel-green eyes blazing. Murder was written all over his face, and Spike knew that he was in big trouble. And what he had done to get himself into this kind of mess – he had no idea. He looked at Max, once again, and finally made a decision to push her away. But just before he raised his hands, the black-haired girl yelled: "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

Spike jumped back.

"Jewel, what's going on?" a familiar voice asked. It was Buffy.

"Max is in heat," Jewel bit out through gritted teeth. "I'll explain what that is later. What we need to do now, is to keep all males away from Max and get her into an empty room and lock her in there while someone keeps Alec distracted. "

No one was too keen on keeping Alec 'distracted'.

Spike was immediately ushered down into the basement were the rest of the gang was currently planning, unaware of what was happening above ground.

Jewel sighed and blew out a breath of air. "Fine, _I'll _do it." And she muttered crossly under her breath. "The last time I did this, I ended up with two broken ribs, a sprained ankle, a fractured jaw, and a bleeding forehead."

And with a deep breath, she launched herself at Alec as he tried to get past her to Max who was being dragged out of the room by Buffy and several other potential slayers as she kicked and screamed.

Alec hit her on the face, while kicking her hard in her midsection. She flew across the room, her head spinning. But nevertheless, she got up and attacked, landing a good hard slap across Alec's face just as Max and the others disappeared up the stairs and into Buffy's bedroom.

Alec was immediately drawn out of his drunken state. "Thank god," Jewel breathed fingering her cheek where a bruise was slowly starting to grow. Hey, it could've been worse. She could've ended up with two broken ribs, a sprained ankle, a fractured jaw, and a bleeding forehead.

"Sorry," Alec apologized sheepishly. "I couldn't help myself."

Jewel waved it away. "No big."

_Just one big black-eye._

A/N: How'd you like this chapter? Let me know please...I had fun writing the heat part...hahaha!! The look on Spike's face!!! BWAHAHAHA!!!! :-) Review!


	12. Soulful

A/N: Glad you all liked the last chapter!!! Especially the Spike part!!! hehehehe!!!! Thanks for all the reviews!!!! MWAH!!!

Chapter Twelve: Soulful

Buffy winced at the state her arm was in. There were big blue bruises on it, and her other arm was bleeding from Max's nasty scratches. _Must be a cat thing. _She thought with an amused grin. She sat in the kitchen, carefully tending her wounds while she waited for the two transgenics to explain all these to her.

"Ow, that looks nasty." Jewel walked into the kitchen followed by a dazed-looking Alec. He was mumbling incoherently under his breath. She distinctly caught the words 'damn, crazy, scent, Max'. Buffy's grin broadened. Obviously, what ever was happening to Max was driving Alec crazy.

"Okay, so do you guys mind explaining what that was all about?" the slayer asked. "Because Alec was seconds from beating Spike into a bloody pulp."

Jewel rolled her eyes. "Alec would've murdered him."

Alec's head snapped up. "Stop talking like I'm not here."

"Mentally speaking, you _aren't _here."

Alec didn't seem to hear her, for he had gone back to his mumbling.

"See what I mean?" Jewel asked, and Buffy nodded.

"You said that Max had gone into heat..." Buffy trailed off curiously.

"It's because we're part feline," Jewel replied. "Heat is a cycle that cats go through during mating season." She grinned impishly. "Get what I mean?"

Buffy thought for a moment then grinned as well. "Yeah I think I get what you mean. Although that doesn't explain why Alec's acting the way he is right now..."

"When a female X5 is in heat, all other X5 males could feel or rather, smell the female's – um, heat. And they go out of control. They'd do anything to get to the female first." Jewel grimaced. "And that's that. They're mated for life. I'm just keeping Alec from making a mistake."

"Mistake?" Buffy echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Before you arrived, the two of them were pretty cozy upstairs – unless it was her heat starting?"

"Maybe--"

"No it wasn't," Alec suddenly spoke up, his face dead somber. "_That _was real. But anyway, I agree with Jewel. Taking advantage of Max would just be the biggest mistake of my life. I'm treading on very fine ground here." He glanced down. "I don't want to lose her, just when I finally have her."

"But if it was real," Buffy said. "This would be your one chance of becoming her erm, mate."

Jewel shook her head. "Not really. There's still her next heat."

Alec grinned rakishly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It would be _so _much better than doing it now. We'd do it at the--"

The two women wore horrified expressions. "Too much information, Alec!"

Alec shrugged. "Hey, I'm a guy. You can't blame me."

"BUFFY!" Dawn's voice rang out from outside the kitchen.

"_What?_"

"Spike wants to talk to you!"

"Ah," Alec smirked. "Prince 'bloody' Charming is waiting for you."

Buffy merely bit her lip, and exited the kitchen, her heart thudding wildly in her chest.

* * *

The basement was overcrowded with people. Giles stood in the center, clutching a piece of paper that was, when Buffy looked closer, was a map of Sunnydale High. He was relaying the plan to the Potentials and the rest of the Scooby Gang. Andrew and Anya stood behind Giles drawing stick figures on a miniature chalkboard.

Buffy glanced around. Spike was nowhere to be seen.

"Buffy," Dawn materialized at her size, a knowing look on her face. "Spike's out in the backyard. He's waiting for you."

The eldest slayer nodded, and cut through the small crowd of potential slayers to the back door. She then found herself standing in the backyard, empty, save for a figure clad in nothing but black.

He stood with his back to her, hands in his pockets, with his head tilted up to the sky which was turning from black to gray. "Spike," Buffy said softly. "What are you doing here? It's going to be light soon." 

"I still have a half hour left," he replied without turning around. "That should be enough."

_Enough for what? _She asked in her head.

As if he heard her silent question, he turned around, his icy-blue eyes glimmering with something unreadable. And slowly, Buffy approached him. "Faith said you wanted to tell me something...?"

"Not in so many words," Spike said, and he crushed his lips to hers in a dizzying kiss. Buffy fell into it, drowned herself in it. It had been so long since she had felt those cold beautiful lips on hers. The last time it _had _been there, it was unwanted. At this thought, she pushed Spike away.

"What the hell was _that _Spike?" she barked, stunned at the cruelty of her tone. Spike's face shone with hurt. _He has a soul now..._Buffy remembered. He can feel...

"Before I die, Buffy." He said, not backing down. "I want you to know that I love you."

Buffy, for a moment, was speechless. But not for long. "No you don't."

"_Yes I do,"_ he said through clenched teeth. "Don't be so bloody naïve, Buffy. _I got my soul back just for you._"

"What _for?_" Buffy snapped, unexpected tears streaming down her face. "_You raped me Spike." _

This time, it wasn't just Buffy who had tears falling down her face. "Is my soul not enough proof for you? I fought several demons to become what I used to be. If not a man...then a vampire with a soul. All those pains that you felt during that night? I feel it now too. And you know what, Buffy? It _hurts._" Spike spat.

"_You deserved it,"_ she spat back. And before Spike could reply, Buffy's lips were on his again. A heart-wrenching kiss that would break both of their hearts in the end.

A/N: Sniffle! I had fun writing this chappie...I'm such a drama queen!!! Please review!!! ;-)


	13. More Apparitions

Reminder: This is strictly AU. So don't be surprised if some of the Buffy episodes are slightly different.

A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short!!! This one's a bit longer...well not that long...i'm not exactly good at writing long chaps...but anyway...ENJOY!!! Thanks for everyone who reviewed by the way!! :-)

Chapter Thirteen: More Apparitions

Willow raised her eyebrows as she passed by Buffy's bedroom, where Max was presently locked in. Where she was presently screaming her head off, shouting Alec's name. _Transgenics sure are strange. _She thought absently, making her way into her own bedroom where it was blissfully silent. She shut the door behind her, and collapsed onto her bed with a heavy sigh of relief. _Finally, I get a breather. _

All the research she had been doing had made both her eyes _and _fingers sore. At least all of it was finished. Now they could go straight to planning, which was technically, Giles' and Buffy's area. Not hers'. As far as she was concerned, the only task that she had not yet completed was the spell that she would doing tomorrow morning. In Sunnydale High.

She climbed out of bed and started across the room when her open closet door swung shut with a loud bang. And there, reflected on the vanity mirror plastered on her closet door was... "Warren!" She gasped, clutching a hand to her chest, her emerald green eyes wide with shock as she twirled around and saw _him. _

"Hello, Willow." He smiled.

Guilt and rage coursed through her, as well as the inner 'darkness' that still resided within her. This was the man who killed the only woman she had ever loved. This was the man who had initiated the beginning of her 'evilness', the one whom she had lashed out all her anger on. The man who had driven her into vengeance. The man who she had skinned alive.

The man who she had first killed.

"You- you're not h-him," Willow stammered, feeling more than a bit uneasy. "You're- you're the-the First!"

His smile broadened into an ugly grin. "Ms. Smarty-Pants knows everything."

He advanced towards her with a few steps and she moved backward, her hands trembling.

"But does she _really?_" Warren winked at her, and vanished into thin air.

At the same time, a blood-curling scream reverberated through the house.

* * *

Dawn and Kennedy had withdrawn from the planning meeting at the basement to go raid the kitchen. Fighting evil could take a lot out of a girl. Thus their hefty appetite.

Alec and Jewel sat at the kitchen counter, discussing in low tones. However, when the two girls walked in, they stopped what they were conversing about to greet them. "Hungry?" Jewel asked, cocking an eyebrow as she raised a newly-opened bag of chips.

Dawn grinned. "You can say that again," she said grabbing it from her and tossing a handful into her mouth. Kennedy grabbed a couple of sodas from the fridge and served them quickly. She downed her drink in one large gulp.

The two transgenics stared at them with open mouths. "And they said X5s had large appetites," Alec commented shaking his head.

"You guys do?" Kennedy asked in disbelief. "Then how come you guys have such great bodies?"

"Exercise," Alec replied simply.

Jewel snorted. "Yeah right, the only exercise you do is pressing the remote button. Or so Max says."

Alec mock glared at her. "I do too exercise!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"What was that?" Dawn asked, eyes wide, cutting their childish bickering as an ear piercing scream echoed from upstairs.

"On it," Alec said, blurring up the stairs.

"He probably thinks that it's Max," Jewel said shaking her head. "Max does _not _scream."

"Let's go find out who it is then," Dawn said moving up the stairs.

Alec skidded to a stop in front of Buffy's bedroom, and was about to fling open the door to find out why Max was screaming her head off –

More screams.

And it was _not _coming from Buffy's bedroom.

He raced further down the hallway and stopped right in front of one of the guest bedrooms, where some of the potential slayers slept. The door was wide-open. And standing inside was Amanda, a pretty brunette that was currently wearing a horrified, tear-streaked face. She was staring at –

"Oh goddess."

Willow had entered the room along with Dawn, Jewel, and Kennedy. All of them were staring at the dreadful sight in front of them.

It was Vi.

She was hanging from the ceiling.

With a rope secured tightly around her neck.

* * *

The night was slowly fading into dawn and Buffy watched the clouds roll past in silent contentment, as she leaned back in Spike's arms, a blissful smile on her face.

"We should start to head in, now." Buffy said, tearing herself away from Spike's embrace, and starting towards the back basement door. "Or you're gonna get fried."

Spike nodded and followed her into the empty basement. Wait – empty basement? _Weren't they just here a couple of minutes ago? _Buffy thought, baffled. Surely, their planning wasn't over yet. There was still much to go over through.

Spike must've caught her puzzled glance because he said. "Maybe they went to have breakfast?"

Buffy shook her head. "I don't think so. It's only like, 5:30 in the morning. It's not even all that light outside yet. They _can't _have breakfast yet. We still need to finish the planning!" Without waiting for a response, she jogged up the stairs, the blonde- vampire at her heels.

The living room was vacant as well, so was the kitchen for that matter.

"Upstairs?" Spike cocked an eyebrow.

Buffy said nothing, but she ran up the stairs to see everyone gathered at the guest bedroom. All of them were circled around something that had captured their attention. _Gee, must be really fascinating. _

"Hey guys," she greeted loudly, breaking the soft murmurs coming from the small group.

Everyone merely stared at her, and they moved out of the way in order for Buffy to see what they were all looking at. The minute she did, her jaw dropped. "_Vi?_" she asked inaudibly. "Wow, I never knew – out of everyone – I never knew that she'd be the first one to break..."

Jewel nodded sympathetically. "She must've been really depressed to commit suicide."

Amanda, Vi's closest friend was sobbing hysterically into Dawn's shoulder, while the later comforted her gently.

"She wasn't depressed," a girl named Nicole said, her eyes downcast on the floor. Buffy could see traces of tears dotting her cheeks. "She was simply scared."

"Scared?" Buffy echoed. "Scared of what? She's a Potential..."

"Scared of being massacred by vampires...demons...evil," Nicole continued. "She once said to me that she'd rather kill herself than _be _killed."

"And you didn't tell us?" Buffy asked, breathing in and out, trying to stay calm.

Nicole shrugged. "Well, you know Vi. She says things as if she's joking. Sometimes, you'd think she's just kidding around. When actually, she isn't. We weren't exactly close ya' know. We just had this conversation once, over dinner. And she told me that." Nicole forced out an apologetic smile. "Sorry I didn't tell you guys."

"That's okay," Buffy said through clenched teeth. She couldn't believe that she lost one of 'her' girls. She was supposed to be responsible for every one of them. She was supposed to take care for each of them. They were torn out of their homes and families, the least she could do was _be _their family while they were here. And losing one of them was like losing one of her family members. It was a painful feeling.

"_Funny, isn't it?_" a voice spoke from behind them.

Shrieks erupted when they saw who it was.

It was Vi. 

Or rather, Vi's ghost. The First.

"A Potential Slayer slays herself out of fear of being killed by the creatures she is supposed to slay" Vi smirked, her dark brown eyes filled with madness. "Goes to show you that no matter how _gifted_ you are. You're still _human._" She spat out the last word like it was something disgusting. "And humans are, andwill always be _weak_."

"We are not weak!" Amanda shrieked through her tears. "Vi was _not _weak! She was just scared..."

The Vi who was not, laughed mirthlessly. "_Fear. _A human feeling. Fear _is _weakness, you stupid girl."

And with those final words, she disappeared.

A/N: I know that it wasn't Vi who died in the Buffy episode—but I couldn't remember the girl's name...anyways, I wanna ask you guys somethin', Spike calls Angel 'Peaches' right? Or is it 'Poofster'? (I don't really know much about Angel) Can you guys tell me? REVIEW!


	14. A Few Memories

Reminder: AU for both shows.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who answered my questions! They really helped a lot!!!! Luv you guys!!! :-) And as for all your questions...;-) keep on reading to find out!!!! BWAHAHAHA!!! ENJOY!!!

Chapter Fourteen: A Few Memories

"It's almost six thirty," Jewel stated, snapping Alec out of his reverie. The rest of the Scooby Gang had retreated upstairs for a big healthy breakfast. They were heading for action in two hours. And in fact, they (Alec, Jewel, Max) should better get going to their own home too. They're own 'action' was waiting for them. "We need to leave."

"Yeah, I know." Alec agreed, nodding. "But what can we do? Max's still in heat..."

Jewel fell silent, her icy-blue eyes pondering—calculating. And suddenly, they lit up.

"What?"

"I've got it!" She crowed, springing out of her seat and slapping a hand on her forehead. "Why didn't I think about this before?"

"Think about what?" Alec asked, standing up as well, his curiosity going beyond.

"Hydroglaxenol!"

Realization dawned on Alec. Hydroglaxenol was something Manticore invented way back. It was used on female X5s who went into heat. It somehow kept their minds stable, and it lowered their incredibly high body temperature.

"All we have to do is liquefy the Hydroglaxenol and chill it," Jewel said with a satisfied grin. "Then we feed it to Max."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "And where exactly will we get Hydroglaxenol?"

She smirked and pulled out a bottle of tablets from her denim jacket. "I completely forgot that I had these."

"Where'd you get that?"

"Snatched it from one of the Manticore techs I found scurrying around Seattle," Jewel said proudly. "I haven't gone into heat for a year already."

"Good for you," Alec said rolling his eyes. "Now let's go liquefy this thing."

Buffy had just sat down to enjoy her dinner of homemade pizza when the kitchen door slammed open. In walked the two transgenics. "Hey Buffy, mind if we use the microwave oven for a while?" Jewel asked, rummaging through the cupboard for a container.

The blonde slayer raised an eyebrow. "Sure, mind if I ask you why?"

"We need to heat some Hydroglaxenol," Alec answered dropping a triangular white tablet the size of her nail into a bowl.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say 'huh'?" Xander supplied through a mouthful of pepperoni pizza.

"Meds for Max's heat," Alec said joining them at the table after they left the 'meds' in the microwave for heating.

"Oh."

A few minutes later... 

"Hey Buffy, mind if we use the fridge for a while?"

"All yours."

_A few minutes later..._

"All done!" Jewel said loudly, presenting a bowl filled with creamy white liquid. Alec handed her a tall drinking glass, and she poured the contents into it.

"It looks like milk," Dawn commented.

"It smells like milk," Buffy quipped.

"Let me just add that it does _not _taste like milk," Jewel said with a grimace.

"And now to the problem at hand," Alec said gesturing towards the now-liquefied Hydroglaxenol. "Who's gonna give it to Max? Because it sure as hell won't be me..." he smirked mischievously. "Because if it _was _me...well, everyone knows what's gonna happen."

"Zip it, Alec." Jewel admonished. "Or I'm gonna have to kick your ass."

"What is it with girls and their fixation with my ass?" Alec asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "I mean, I know it's all fine, but really, your obsessions are starting to become real strange."

The whole kitchen (minus the two transgenics) burst into amused laughter.

"Whatever," Jewel rolled her eyes. "I'll be back in a few..."

After 'in a few'... 

"So, uh, what happened exactly?" Max asked sheepishly as she, and Jewel stood in front of the closed kitchen door, staring at the smooth wooden surface. She wasn't too fond of her heat cycles. It made her feel disgusting and dirty. Not to mention incredibly embarrassed. Mentally, she cursed her feline DNA.

"You tried to jump Spike," Jewel replied plainly.

Max groaned. "Buffy would kill me."

"No offense to her or anything, but you could still kick her ass. You are after all, a genetically enhanced super soldier." Jewel paused. "Not that I _want _you guys to fight. – Just a thought, is all."

"And Alec?" Max asked biting her lip. "He didn't kill Spike, did he?"

"Thanks to little old moi, he didn't." the raven-haired X5 said with a sigh.

"And where did you get that milk-thingy you gave to me?"

Jewel shot her a look. "First of all, it wasn't milk. It was Hydroglaxenol. And second of all, the whole-where-I-got-it, is a long story. So, long story made short. I snatched it."

"Cool," Max nodded. "And thanks, by the way."

"No problem."

The second they stepped into the kitchen, they were greeted by mock cheers. "Hey, look whose back from the land of lust." Alec chided with an impish grin, earning himself a smack on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For being a smart-aleck," Max retorted with a small grin, seating herself beside him, and trying to avoid Spike's puzzled gaze at all costs. It was way too embarrassing.

Alec's mischievous grin only widened. "_Maxie,_" he drawled. "Remember the first time we met?"

"Ooh, sounds interesting." Xander said, rolling his eyes. Buffy and the rest of the girls giggled, except Max of course who grinned back in return.

"Of course I remember," Max said in a mock-'deep thinking' tone. "Let me see...the first time we met, I kicked your ass into the wall."

Snickers erupted from the group. "She kicked your ass?" Jewel asked in disbelief. "Man, you must've been a total wuss."

Alec glared at her, but brushed it off. "And why did you kick my ass, Maxie?" he asked cheekily.

Max's face flushed a deep red, and everyone automatically leaned in closer to hear better. "Because you banged into my room, erm, _cell_ one friggin' night and practically _stripped _in front of me."

More snickers came from the group.

Alec was now offended. "First of all, I did not _strip. _I simply took my shirt off..." he trailed off, and smirked. "Besides, I was under orders to copulate with little Maxie here." He wiggled his eyebrows at Max who was glowering at him. "Twice, wasn't it Maxie?"

The stifled laughter was evident on everyone's faces, except Jewel who was laughing outright. "Really? I never realized Max was one to get down and dirty and actually _like _it. Especially since your in Manticore and all..." More laughs.

Max was now on the verge of murdering Alec right there on the spot. "_We. Did. Not. Copulate." _She bit out through clenched teeth. "I kicked your ass and told you that 'that was the only physical contact we are ever going to have'." 

"Whatever," Alec waved it off dismissively, and grinned again. "But have I told you guys that Max once gave me a lap dance at the Blowfish Tavern?"

"We were on a friggin' undercover mission, you son of a bitch!" And with that Max tackled Alec to the floor with their audience's laughter surrounding them, and it wasn't long until the two of them were laughing as well.

A/N: Hahahaha!!! That was funny!!!! Well – _I _thought it was funny anyway...how 'bout you guys??!! :-) REVIEW!!!


	15. An Unexpected Visit

A/N: COOKIES FOR EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!!! :-)

Chapter Fifteen: An Unexpected Visit

Alec leaned on the kitchen counter, munching on an apple, and trying to think of the best way to tell the Scooby Gang the rather bad news that they were leaving. He, Jewel, and Max had a little meeting a few minutes ago after Max's 'recovery' from her heat. And there was an unanimous decision that they _had _to leave. Sure, they made some new friends here in Sunnydale. Friends that the transgenics couldn't bear seeing getting hurt. But as the saying goes: 'family always comes first.'

And besides, Buffy and her friends were more than capable of handling themselves.

Alec locked gazes with Max. It was now or never.

"Buffy," Alec started, tossing the half-eaten apple aside. "We need to tell you guys something."  
  
The blonde Slayer raised an eyebrow. "Sure, what is it?"

It was then that the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Alec said with an innocent grin, glad to have an excuse to get out of the situation for a while. He went out of the kitchen, oblivious to the glares emanating from the two female X5s.

He flung open the door and came face to face with—a total stranger. He was dressed in black. Spike-style, as Dawn would've called it. He had a slightly larger build than Alec, and he was wearing a rather hostile glower. "May I help you?" Alec asked in a polite tone, although the soldier in him suggested otherwise. He didn't like the aura this man was giving off. He could be dangerous.

"Who the hell are you?" the stranger asked.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking _that_?" Alec asked with a frown. "You're standing in front of my house, and you're asking me who I _am?"_ Okay, so technically it wasn't _his _house. But, hey, anything to get this man to go his way and leave him alone.

"_You're _house?"

_Busted. _Alec thought, grimacing inwardly.

"As far as I know, this is _Buffy's _house." The man continued, bordering on angry.

Alec's features softened. _Oh. _So this guy knew Buffy. "Oh, so you know Buffy?"

The man looked confused for a moment, when Alec visibly relaxed. "Yeah, I do. I'm Angel, and she's a friend of mine."

Alec shrugged. "Whatever." He held open the door to give 'Angel' enough space to pass through. But the man remained where he was, staring at Alec expectantly.

"Care to invite me in?"

Realization dawned. "You're a vampire." Alec stated accusingly.

"Yeah, so?" Angel asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you scared or something?" he taunted.

Alec smirked his famous I-am-the-devil smirk, and pulled out a stake from his pocket, twirling it lazily in between his fingers. "Not really."

Angel shook his head muttering something about 'Buffy hanging out with crazy insane pretty boys' or something like that.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Alec said, smirking at him. "Come in."

Angel obliged, glancing furtively around the room.

"Hey, Alec, who is it?" a drawling British voice asked. Angel froze when he heard this voice, Alec was sure to notice this. Spike came out from the kitchen and he too, froze when he saw Angel. "_Peaches?_"

"Well, I guess you two know each other too--" Alec said, feeling surprised for a second. Well, it shouldn't have been a surprise considering both were vampires. They were sure to know each other. "--As you are calling each other pet names."

"Try insults," Spike retorted. "Angel's my – grand-sire." (A/N: Did I get that right?)

"I'm afraid the word sire isn't part of my vocabulary," Alec said rather sarcastically. "Although 'grandpa' is. And I _cannot _see the resemblance between the two of you – Paleness maybe."

The two vampires glowered at him.

Alec raised up his hands in surrender. "Kidding—kidding. Honestly, you vamps have no sense of humor. I'll go get Buffy now."

"No need to, she's already here."

The three spun around to see Buffy entering the living room. Her expression was – not gloomy. Alec guessed that Max hadn't spilled the news of them leaving to her yet.

"Buffy," Angel breathed, approaching the slayer and laying a hand on her cheek.

Spike growled.

Alec stepped back.

Buffy took away Angel's hand and dismissed the two males. "Um, Spike, Alec. Could you give us a second please?"

Alec nodded, and disappeared into the kitchen. Spike's eyes lingered on Angel's – a warning – before vanishing away from their sight as well.

* * *

"Angel, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked quietly.

"The First," Angel started. "He has risen."

"The First was summoned, actually." Buffy clarified, recalling what happened the day before with the Familiars.

"Summoned?" Angel echoed incredulously. "By whom?"

"By a bunch of lunatics that called themselves the Familiars."

Angel pondered this for a moment. "I've read about them before, I think. – They're an ancient breeding cult that dabbled with the Dark Arts – black magic."

"Righty-O." Buffy stared at the vampire for a second before asking him again the unanswered question. "What are you doing here? Because I doubt that you simply came around for a visit, coz' now's a pretty bad time for one considering the fact that we would be facing the biggest Big Bad of our lives in the next coupla' hours."

"My point exactly," Angel confirmed. "I came here to help."

Buffy's face fell. "No."

"No?" Angel repeated perplexed. "Buffy, you're leading a group of un-fully trained _potentials._ They're not Slayers yet Buffy. They don't have enough strength _or _experience to fight such a big battle. This isn't just some patrol anymore...this is _war._"

"And you think that I don't know that already?" Buffy asked, an edge to her voice. "These girls have the _potential _to _become _a _Slayer. _These girls have it _within. _I believe that they can do this. Because if they can't, I would've already sent them packing ages ago." Buffy inhaled deeply, as Angel looked at her with understanding eyes. "Besides, I need you to form a second just in case _I _fail. If we do lose – it would be my fault."

Then Angel said something that she did not expect. "This is about Spike, isn't it? There's something going on between the two of you." It was a statement, not a question, and Buffy could hear the sadness tinge the back of his voice. He was after all one of the few people she had loved so much before, and although Angel was still in her heart, she just simply didn't feel for him in _that _way anymore. There was somebody else now. And she confirmed it without hesitation.

"Yes."

Angel nodded slowly, accepting this fact. Buffy smiled.

"Here," the dark haired vampire pulled out something from the pocket of his leather jacket. He gave it to her. Buffy took it, and gazed at it for a few minutes, admiring its beauty. It was an amulet. It was sapphire in color, and the light reflected upon the surface and into the interior fractions of the charm where the color was so much darker – almost black. It was hauntingly beautiful.

"What's this?" Buffy asked, finally coming out of her trance.

"It's supposed to have cleansing powers," Angel explained. "Although I'm not sure exactly how it works. All I know is that it must go to your – champion. Which I'm guessing is – Spike."

"Thank you – for understanding."

Angel smiled.

Then he left.

A/N: Reviews make me happy...and when I'm happy..i enjoy writing more....so please...toss me a review...i badly need it...:-)


	16. Remember Us Always

A/N: A lil' reminder for those who forgot: Max and Alec are going back to Seattle coz' there gonna have their own lil' war there too...

I'm SO HAPPY!!! So many reviews!!! I love you all!! MWAH!!! :-)

Chapter Sixteen: Remember Us Always

_It must go to your champion... _

Angel's words echoed in her head as she stared dazedly at the amulet, entranced by its spellbinding beauty. _How does this thing work? _Buffy asked in her head, doubting it's safety.

_When in doubt. Go to Giles._

She allowed herself a small smile and headed down into the basement where she knew Giles would be poring over books, books, and more books.

He looked up the minute she arrived. "Buffy," he greeted her, sipping on a cup of tea.

"Honestly Giles, don't you _ever _get tired of drinking _tea_?" Buffy asked, exaggerating an exasperated tone.

Giles arched an eyebrow. "Somehow, I don't think that you came down here just to criticize my choice of beverages."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Your read me like a book Giles." She settled herself beside him and handed him the amulet. Her Watcher took it, his brows furrowed in curiosity.

"Where did you get this?"

"From Angel."

Giles' eyebrows shot up. "Angel? He was here?"

"He left a few minutes ago," Buffy answered with a small shrug. "He wanted to stay actually – to help fight the new Big Bad in our life. But – I didn't let him." The Slayer met her Watcher's eyes, and there she found understanding. "There's a chance that we may lose this battle, Giles. And if we do – lose," she bit out the word with much difficulty. "...at least Angel would still be here to fight the other baddies that'll try to cause havoc in this lil' world of ours."

Giles nodded and focused his attention once more on the amulet, casually flipping through the pages of his extremely large and antique books. "I haven't really seen anything like this before," He remarked, holding up the amulet up towards the light, and they both watched it reflect against it's smooth surface. "Nor have I read anything about it."

Buffy shrugged again. "Angel said it had some sort of cleansing powers and that it must be worn by my champion."

"Which I'm guessing," interrupted a new voice. "Would be me."

Spike came trotting in, his face unreadable.

Giles took one last look at the amulet before giving it Spike who slipped it around his neck. It glimmered mysteriously against his black t-shirt.

"Nice to know the Poof cares about me," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Cut it out, Spike." Buffy said in a firm tone. "You're acting like a jealous jackass. I may still love Angel – but not in a way that I love you. Alright?" She took a step towards him, and placed a hand on his cheek. His skin was cool to her touch. "Is that clear?"

Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uhh, I'll be leaving now..." and he hurried out of the room.

Neither heard or noticed him leave. All that mattered was the two of them. "Crystal clear." Spike said with a grin. "Now let's go up there now shall we? The transies are getting fidgety. They said they needed to tell us something."

* * *

"_What?!_"

Max allowed herself a small smile as she watched Buffy's face transform from shock to denial, then back to shock. It was amazing how a mere couple of hours could do to a few people. The battle with the Familiars seemed like days ago. Yet, it was only a few hours ago. And within that short span of time, Max had been able to create a very special friendship with Buffy and her gang.

This was the first time in her whole, entire life that she was able to give her total trust to someone she knew in less than two days. With the past she held, it was almost impossible to trust just anyone – even her own kind. But then here comes a group of extremely extraordinary people who understood what she was going through in her life. Who understood what it felt like to have a destiny.

Buffy's destiny was to save the world.

Max's destiny was to save her own race.

It was simple really.

_Yeah right,_ she thought with a grimace. _Life is anything _but _simple. _Her whole life was a roller coaster of risks and dangers. An exact replica of a Slayer's life.

"You – you can't just leave!" Buffy protested in a whiny tone.

Alec smirked. "Sorry to break your heart sweetie, but I'm afraid we have no choice."

"Yeah," Max agreed with an apologetic grin. "As leaders to TC, we are absolutely required to be there."

"Leaders lead," Jewel chimed in. She paused – thought back on what she said and smiled sheepishly. "Heh, that pretty much is obvious, huh?"

------

Buffy nodded slowly, her mouth still slightly agape as the three transgenics as they informed their latest news to her. They were leaving. The rest of the Scooby gang were stunned as well. They knew how valuable these X5s were to the team. The played a major role during the fight with the Familiars, if it weren't for them, much more of them would've been lost. They were needed for the fight with the First Evil.

_But they have their own war to fight too. _Buffy reprimanded herself. But she tried asking them to stay anyway. "Why don't you guys stick around for a while?" she asked lamely. "Maybe after the fight with the First. We could help you guys too."

Alec shook his head, a grim smile on his face. "Our family may be dead by then," he said bitterly. "We can't risk it...and besides, we protect our own."

She hated to admit it, but he was right. And so she nodded. "Okay then," she hugged them both. "Take care...and if you guys need anything...feel free to drop by."

"If we still have our heads connected to our bodies," Jewel chimed in, earning a glare from everyone in the room. She shrugged. "Sorry, I'm just feeling a bit pessimistic right now."

Buffy smiled. "Hey, at least you won't be facing extremely ugly monsters, like we will."

"I guess you haven't seen the cops at Seattle," Jewel said with a weak grin. "They're way ugly when their angry. And one look at our beautiful faces and poof! They go off like a rocket."

Buffy had to laugh. "Well, guys. I guess this is it." She held each of the transgenics' gazes for a few moments before tossing them each a pointed wooden stake.

"What the hell's this?" Jewel asked, staring down at the piece of wood. "A twig?"

"It's a stake," Max said rolling her eyes. "You use it to kill vampires."

The raven-haired X5 looked at Max in confusion. "I didn't know there were vampires in Seattle."

Buffy grinned. "Hey, you'll never know."

"You're right," Jewel smiled.

"Well, we'd better be going." Alec said glancing at the clock hanging on Buffy's wall. It was already seven in the morning. Bright rays of sunshine were slowly filtering through the half-opened curtains. He flashed them all a cocky smile. "We'll keep in touch."

"See ya'll soon," Max said waving as they prepared to leave.

"Alec! Alec!" Anya was waving wildly at him.

The X5 lifted an eyebrow and stopped in his tracks. "What is it, Anya?"

"When Max goes into heat again, don't forget to have tons and tons of orgasms and have a really, really good sex, alright?"

Everyone groaned save for Alec who burst out laughing. "I'll be sure to remember that."

They climbed up their bikes. Max and Alec on Alec's bike, and Jewel on hers'. Buffy then watched them drive down the empty road, wondering if this was the last time she'll ever see them.

Or if this was the last time they were going to see her.

A/N: **Okay, so that pretty much ends the crossover part...but keep reading guys!! The battle is about to start!!! AND i might just write a sequel...a reunion or somethin'...hehehe...tell me what you think!!! :-)**


	17. Home Bitter Home

A/N: Glad I made you all laugh!! Er, i mean, glad Anya made you all laugh!!! hehehe!!! Thanks to all you guys who reviewed!!! And don't worry about Buffy and Max meeting again...they will...in the sequel...I've already started writing it!!! I'll probably post it after I finish this story!!!

Chapter Seventeen: Home Bitter Home

"We're back!" Alec sang out throwing open the double doors that led to the Command Center. All heads looked up from their work to see their three topmost leaders file in, all wearing dismal but determined faces.

"Nice to finally have you three back," Dix said with a wide grin. "I was getting sick of getting ordered around to steal more cigars from the other transhumans."

Mole glowered at Dix, but grinned afterwards, glad too about the arrival of Terminal City's most respected transgenics. "So, what's the plan, oh great and fearless leaders?"

Jewel dropped onto an empty chair, blowing out a sigh of relief. Alec made a beeline for the computers, talking to Dix in a low voice. Max stood in front of Mole, both hands on either side of her hips, and a smile on her face. "We fight back guns blazing, Mole. Isn't that what you want?"

Mole could not contain a grin. "You got it Princess."

"Good, now get to work on those ammunitions." She ordered. "We need to have everything ready by the end of the week if we don't want to end up barbecued."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Mole mock saluted before moving towards his favorite room in the whole of TC: the arsenal. He stopped dead in his tracks though, as a single idea formed in his head. "Max – what if they nuke us?"

"They won't." Max replied confidently. "Terminal City's surrounded by dozens of buildings owned by normal humans- we're standing in the middle of so many lives. If they bomb us...it wouldn't be just us transies that would end up dead. They wouldn't even consider risking it."

"What's up, Dix?" Alec asked, peering over the mutant's shoulder into the glowing screen of the computer. He was typing furiously on the keyboard, fingers moving in rapid speed.

"I've been keeping tabs on the City Council," Dix replied, not looking up from his work. "Hacking into their document files. I only got into a few – the others had topnotch security – damned difficult to hack into. I would've asked some assistance from the oh-so great Logan Cale, but I doubt that he'll help."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Forget the exo-boy, we don't need no ordinary's help. And besides, the last time I heard, he and Max were stepping on rocky ground. I don't think that putting them in one room would be a pretty sight to see." He smirked. _Especially when Loggie-boy finds out that Max is now mine. _His smirk vanished to be replaced by a broad grin when the latter approached them.

"Find anything useful?" Max asked.

Dix frowned as he entered a new site, his eyes widening. "They're attacking on Friday morning – that's the day after tomorrow...and they're bringing in an army of a thousand."

Max drew in a sharp intake of breath. "That's three times the number of men we have." She locked gazes with Alec, her face one of desperation and helplessness.

Alec sighed and wrapped an a protective arm around Max's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get through this. And if we don't – at least there's the Good Place, right?"

Max managed a weak smile at the thought of the Good Place, memories of her brother Ben flooding her head...._where no one ever gets hurt or punished...where we finally find peace..._

_Flashback_

_They were fighting, just within a thick grove of trees, and the sounds of fist and foot hitting bone echoed through the forest. _

_Brother to sister, they fought – completely oblivious to the fact that Manticore snipers were slowly making their way into the woods._

_The unmistakable cracking of bones whipped the silence loudly when Max broke Ben's leg and that was when X5-493 fell to the ground, gasping, and struggling unsuccessfully to sit up._

_Max gazed at her brother's pain-filled eyes and knelt down to help him up. The moment she did, the deafening humming of helicopters filled the air._

_The two siblings glanced at each other in panic. "Don't leave me here, Don't let them take me," Ben gasped out._

_Max, although overcome with pity, shook her head. "Ben, I can't carry you. We'll both get caught."_

_Ben kept his gaze on her. "I know."_

_His emerald green eyes were sparkling with desperation – with defeat. And that was when Max understood. Her face fell, and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Ben – I can't."_

_Ben grasped her hand tightly. "Please, Maxie. You know what they'll do to me. They'll put me down there with them...the Nomlies. Please."_

_Max looked at him tearfully, as he silently pleaded with her, and Max finally gave in. "Tell me about the Good Place."_

_A smile graced her brother's features, and a far-away look came into his eyes. "Where no one ever gets punished."_

_"And no one gets yelled at," Max added._

_"And nobody disappears. And when you wake up in the morning, you can stay in bed as long as you want--"_

_And that was when Max snapped his neck. She dropped his head softly on the ground, and as the choppers drew nearer, she began to sob._

_...he was up there somewhere now...up in the Good Place...watching over her..._

_End Flashback_

"Max?"

"Maaxxx!"

Max snapped out of her reverie to see Alec waving a hand up and down in front of her face, wearing an amused expression. "Are you alright?"

Max smiled tiredly. "I'm fine. I was just – remembering."

Dix suddenly swiveled sharply around his computer chair, a look of utter shock and horror on his face.

The two X5s immediately straightened up. "Dix? What's wrong?"

The mutant remained silent, his jaw slightly agape.

Alec went over to the computer and checked it. His face instantly hardened.

"Alec?" Max questioned, fear tainting her voice. "Alec, what is it?"

"They've changed plans. They're attacking at noon."

A/N: HA!!! Almost at then end guys...anyway...REVIEW!


	18. Life Never Stays the Same

A/N: I'm so happy! (sing song voice) I'm so happy!!!! Glad that everyone liked the last chapter...i luv it when you guys react to the fic!!! Mwah!!! Here's the next one! Enjoy!!!

Chapter Eighteen: Life Never Stays the Same

Buffy meandered around her bedroom, at loss of anything better to do. In a few minutes, they were going to head out, and Buffy needed some time to herself. She moved over to her vanity mirror and looked herself in the mirror.

Her blonde hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail, still a bit damp after the refreshing shower she had just taken. The bags were still under her eyes, which wasn't really all that of a surprise considering she didn't get any sleep at all. She allowed herself a small smirk as she smoothed down her clothes. She was dressed from head to foot in designer clothing.

She almost looked like she was going to a party if it wasn't for the variety of weapons strapped to her body.

What she looked like was a very fashionable warrior. 

And for some reason, that made her feel good.

Her gaze rested on the silver cross dangling from her neck, and her fingers traced the intricate patterns emblazoned on it. Someone up there was watching them, and she certainly hoped that, that someone was on their side.

"_Slayer._"

Buffy spun around at the familiar disdainful voice that she knew would plague her dreams and turn them into nightmares after this whole battle was over.

It was White.

Or rather, to be specific, the First in White's body.

"What do you want?" Buffy asked, trying to compose herself. The First's sudden appearance had startled her.

"Nothing much," White said with a cocky grin as he brushed off the imaginary dust off of his crisp Armani business suit. "I simply just wanted to tell you that _I. Will. Rule. The. World._"

Buffy lifted an eyebrow and let out an exaggerated yawn. "Can't come up with anything original, now can't we?"

White replied with a chilling laugh.

And he suddenly, right before her very eyes, he started to morph...into...

...an exact replica of her.

It was almost like looking into a mirror.

"So, this is what the Heavens have Chosen." The First said, crossing her arms, and giving Buffy a very criticizing once-over. "Not too impressive."

The First stepped closer until they were barely a ruler away from each other. "You're going to lose this battle, _Buffy._" She hissed. "_And you are going to get so many people killed."_

"_The Slayer lives her life alone...and she will die that way._"

The First gave her one last mocking smile before disappearing in a wisp of smoke.

Buffy tried to calm herself, but she could not stop herself from trembling. For the first time in a very long while...

Buffy Summers was scared.

She went back to gazing at herself on the smooth surface of her vanity mirror. She stared herself straight in the eye, and realization dawned on her.

"We're going to win." She said in a voice with determination so sheer it was almost up to the point of anger.

"Buffy!" Giles' voice rang from downstairs. "Please come down now!"

It was time.

* * *

Buffy stood outside her house, out on the road, scrutinizing the group of people that had gathered in front of her, holding stakes, crossbows, daggers, swords, crosses, and axes with a burst of pride. They had been training for weeks for this, waiting for weeks for this with much dread. But now, all that dread had disappeared, to be replaced by a sense of determination and purpose. This was what they had been chosen for. To fight.

The eldest slayer paced in front of the numbers of potentials, giving out her final instructions. "Okay girls, the minute we get into Sunnydale High, we spread out in groups of three or four. Safety in numbers in all that. Do a quick sweep through your designated locations, and if you don't see anything weird – you know what I mean – head straight for the basement. Spike, Faith and Robin are already there. Once everyone's there, we go in, and we wait. Willow's spell wouldn't take too long, would it Wills?"

The red-headed Wicca shook her head. "Nope. It should take only a few minutes. And if everything goes as planned – we'll be having an army of slayers...not just potential slayers." She smiled as the group cheered loudly.

"Once we defeat, yes, once we _defeat _the First, get out of the school as quickly as possible in case we get another earthquake like last night. Assemble outside the school. Giles has prepared the school bus as our means of transportation, as we don't have any cars to fit all of us." Buffy paused, thinking. "Well, I think that's about it."

Giles nodded. "Let's get going then, shall we?"

* * *

"Noon?" Max repeated, her heart thudding violently in her chest as she went into utter denial. "They can't be attacking at noon."

Alec laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They are, and the only thing we can do now is to get everyone in Terminal City to prepare for it. There's absolutely nothing we can do now, Maxie."

Max nodded, too numb to speak as she tried to take everything in. They barely had arrived and now they had to go and fight, _again. _Her life – _their lives _– could be described as nothing more than hell. They lived in hell. They rolled around in the flames, they played with fire, flirted with danger, danced with death – their lives were sheer suicide.

Everyday was a battle.

A battle for survival.

And in a few hours, they were going to be either survivors of the biggest genocide in history _or _they were leading themselves into their deaths.

Max had a feeling that it was going to be the latter.

"Alec," she said, rising from her chair and beckoning for her lover to come closer before whispering urgently in his ear. "I need you to gather all the Xs and let them know on what Dix has told us, alright?"

"No problem, Oh-great-and-fearless-leader." Alec said mock-saluting and quickly exiting the Command Center.

She then turned to Luke who had been listening from nearby. "Luke, I want you to tell all the transhumans about the latest news." She ordered. Luke saluted smartly before following in Alec's footsteps.

Max glanced around the room, looking for her favorite raven-haired X5. She saw her resting on the battered couch by the entrance doors, her eyes tightly shut. Max approached her, and shook her gently. Jewel's eyes snapped open and practically jumped out of the couch. "Dammit Max, you scared the shit outta me!" she said placing a hand on her chest.

Max chuckled softly. "Sorry—but I really need to ask you a favor."

Jewel's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"I need you to go to Logan's and ask him to give us a map of Seattle's underground canals."

Jewel sighed. Max knew how much she disliked Logan, for the main reason that he always went in Max's way whenever there was a mission. He always wanted to 'help' when all he did was cause them more problems. But to Max, Logan will always be in her heart. He had helped her through the earlier years of her life in Seattle, and he was probably the only reason on why Alec was even still here. He _had _saved him during the fight at Jam Pony.

"Can't Dix get one on the Net?"

"That'll take too long," Max replied patiently. "We need it now, and Logan already has it in his hard drive."

"Now?" Jewel echoed, puzzled. "Why do we need it now?"

Max inhaled deeply. "Because they're attacking at noon."

"Noon?" Jewel gasped, suddenly looking like a deer caught in headlights. "They can't be attacking at noon!" She exclaimed, echoing Max's words earlier. "That's like six hours from now!"

"They are, and that's why I need you to go to Logan's and fast."

"Got your point Max," she said before blurring out of Headquarters.

Max closed her eyes and stood there for a few seconds.

In six hours, their lives were going to change forever.

A/N: Six hours to go and counting......review!!


	19. Apocalypse

A/N: LUV ALL OF YOU!!! HERE IT IS!!!

Chapter Nineteen: Apocalypse

Max darted around the Command Center frantically, almost to the point of hysteria. _Only five more hours to go. _She thought sucking in a deep breath. _And we don't even have enough guns_.

"Mole!" She called out.

The said transhuman emerged from the arsenal, carrying a sniper. "You rang?"

"How much?"

Mole grimaced. "'Bout two-fifty."

Max grimaced with him. Two hundred and fifty guns for three hundred and sixty-four transgenics. For the first time in her life, she was actually pissed that they did _not _have enough guns.

For a very long time, guns disgusted Max. She despised them up the point that she won't touch them. On reason: Guns kill. Plain and simple.

_Yeah right. _She snorted. _Knives kill too, so do those hands of yours. _

"But do we have enough bullets?" Max asked hopefully.

Mole grinned. "Thousands, Queen Bee. Thousands."

Max sighed in relief. "Good. Distribute all guns to the best shooters." Mole raised an eyebrow. "_Now._"

"Yo Maxie!" A voice shouted out from the entrance doors were Mole just exited through. It was Jewel. She was waving a wad of documents in the air enthusiastically. "I got the maps!"

"Thanks," Max said gratefully, accepting the papers and motioning for Jewel to follow her. They stopped at a small, rusty coffee table and spread the maps out on the metal surface. After a few minutes, she had memorized every single detail.

"Jewel, remember the teams we formed a few weeks ago?" Max asked.

"Of course," Jewel said nodding. "The five Elite teams."

"I want you to get them here now. I have a plan."

"I've picked three tunnel exits that three of our teams will emerge from. Each leads to a concealed location _outside _of Terminal City. All of these tunnel exits are hidden under a dumpster, which wouldn't be all that of a problem for you guys. Super strength and all that shit..."

"When do we come out?" a voice called out from the crowd.

"As Dix had found out, unbeknownst to them, they will be attacking at exactly twelve noon. That's when you come out."

"How would we know if its safe enough to come out?" Another asked.

"Shut up and let me finish first!" Max snapped, her patience wavering. They had four hours and forty minutes left. "I already sent out an X5 to plant bugs near the said dumpsters. That way you'd hear if anyone is coming."

"You sent out an X5?" Someone asked incredulously. "Isn't that a bit dangerous considering the circumstances we are in now?"

Max smirked. "Don't worry. This X5 has plenty enough experience." The double-doors to the Command Center slammed open. "And he's here already."

"Did I miss anything?" Alec asked, shaking the droplets of rain on his hair as he jogged up to her. It was drizzling outside, and it was rather irritating for them, considering the fact that they were part feline. Cats _hate _water.

But of course, when the time came for them to fight, they wouldn't be hating the water. They'd be loving how it would wash away their blood.

"Not much," Max said with a shrug turning back to her audience. "Teams Three, Four, and Five would pick ten more people to come with them. That way, we'd have sixty of our men waiting outside TC. The rest would stay here, and fight it out straight out the front and back entrances."

"What about the roof?" Mole asked. "They'd be having choppers, that's for sure."

"I already assigned some people on the roof." Max said, trying to keep her calm. She was beyond nervous now. _Only Four hours and twenty-five minutes to go. _"Alright that's about it people. Get your firearms from Mole, and rest it out. I'll be meeting with you again an hour before we go to our designated positions." She waved them off. "You're all dismissed."

A warm hand found her cool cheek. "You okay Maxie?"

She twisted around and met Alec's dazzling hazel-green eyes. She had always found it entertaining to just watch them. Especially when he was happy, the flecks of hazel would dance up and down like flames. But now, they were filled with nothing more but concern and anxiety.

She forced a smile. "I'm always okay."

Alec laughed lightly . "Isn't that supposed to be my line?"

This time, Max's smile was truly genuine. It was that irresistible charm of his. It always made her feel better when she was down there. Way down.

"Seriously Maxie, are you alright?"

Max sighed. "Of course not. We're about to go into war, Alec. A full-out war with the people _who made us_." Hurt shone on her face. "Do you know how painful that is? They created us and then they just suddenly decide that they have no use for us anymore? We're just things to them...garbage...trash that pollute their world..."

Alec wrapped an arm around her shoulder as tears started to flow down her face. "Max, this isn't Manticore anymore. Manticore's long gone. _They _were the ones who made us. Not these people..."

"I know that...but in a way...it's still the same. They're still the same race...ordinary humans who don't give a shit about the fact that we have souls. We have souls too, Alec. We _feel. _We're no robots whom they can just manipulate and order around." She was sobbing now, and Alec kissed her on the head as an attempt to comfort her.

It did.

Alec always did. He always made things alright...well, maybe not entirely...but better...and better was better than nothing at all. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.

She smiled. "I love you too."

* * *

Willow shut her eyes halfway through the spell as energy poured through her. The stimulating warmth spread through her body like a rapid fire, almost taking her breath away. It had been such a long time since she had felt this kind of vigor. This kind of drive.

She embraced the magic as it enveloped her, sliding across her body like second skin.

Softly, she chanted under her breath, the Latin words flowing easily from her tongue.

Slowly, she completed the spell.

There was a flash of bright light, and her hair went white, her eyes glowing black in the dimness of the broken-down classroom.

Almost there... 

She gasped in relief, her hair color reverting back to scarlet as the power left her.

_I've done it_...she thought with a small smile. _I've transformed all Potentials into Slayers._

And then she lost consciousness.

* * *

Buffy stared at the Seal, the entrance to the Hellmouth, as she waited for the rest of the Potentials to arrive. Faith was already there, standing beside her, her eyes too on the Seal. Inside it, their worst nightmares were waiting for them, waiting to strike. The last Potential finally arrived, and they all circled around the Mouth of Hell.

Faith drew out a small blade, cutting her palm open until the blood began to drip on the Seal. One by one, the Potentials sliced their hands and held them out spontaneously on the metallic disc. They watched in horrified entrancement as drops of crimson fell down onto the Seal.

And slowly, it began to open.

"We're going to Hell," Faith announced, leading the way into the ground.

And slowly, they began to descend.

The Potentials gasped when they finally arrived at their destination. A cliff overlooking a vast canyon overflowing with Uber Vampires. Spike, Faith, and Buffy stood side by side watching and waiting...waiting for Willow's spell to take effect.

Seconds ticked by and then...

"Whoa!" Faith exclaimed, grinning as the Potentials were suddenly bathed in shimmering white light.

"Can you feel it?" Buffy asked.

The girls nodded, smiles gracing their terrified faces.

"Congratulations," Spike remarked with a nod of his bleached-blonde head. "You are now officially Slayers."

Faith smirked. "Welcome to our world."

"This is it girls," Buffy spoke in a steady voice. "This is your final test. All your training will finally be put to use. You are all Slayers now. You now have the strength, the speed, and the power." Buffy's eyes flashed. "We are the protectors of this world, and it is up to us to fulfill our duties. You were Chosen for this. _This is your destiny._"

Faith rolled her eyes with a grin. "What she means is – let's go kick some ass!"

A/N: Girl power!!! Woohoo!!! Ahem, anyway, I just wanted to ask you guys a question: _Who Chooses the Slayers? _I mean, do the Powers that Be choose them, or whoever? It would really help in the sequel... hint! Hint! Bwahahahaahahah!!! :-) Review!


	20. Time Check

A/N: Well thanks for everyone who reviewed answered my questions. They really helped!! ;-) Anyway, two reviewers suggested something for the sequel...:-)...They were pretty good ideas...and I MIGHT just use it!!! Bwahahahaha!!! On to the fic!!!!

Chapter Twenty: Time Check

_One hour more to go... _

Max inhaled deeply before walking out into Terminal City's main area. Everyone was there, talking, waiting, listening...anticipating. This day may be their death day, but in a way, a hell of a lot of them were more than excited for this fight. It had been a long time since they had a proper shoot-out. This was just the perfect excuse for them to let loose some of the unused fuel inside their genetically engineered bodies.

"Everyone here?" She asked, standing beside Alec who was wiping his Glock 18 clean.

There was a chorus of 'yeahs'.

"Alright, I already gave you your designated locations." Max said, her eyes scanning the crowd. "Be sure to do each of your own tasks. I want your full cooperation on this one." She glared at them. "As I have said to you many, many times before. We must _not let anyone get left behind._"

"We're one big happy family," Alec piped up with a teasing grin. "So, watch your team mates' back, alright?"

"Look after each other," Max said in a softer tone. "It's the only way we can win."

"Yeah!" the crowd yelled out.

"If worst comes to worst, and they decide to bomb us. We've stolen a couple of vans, and bikes for you guys to use if this _does _happen. And then we will all head to this exact address." Max pulled out a slip of paper. "12th street, the abandoned St. Louise Pier, Warehouse 12, Vancouver, Canada. Memorize it."

_Forty minutes more to go... _

Time to be the perfect soldier.

And Alec knew it too, because his face had gone blank. His mask had gone up. He then spoke, in a strong commanding voice that made everyone stop talking and look at him. He had their full attention now.

"This is it people. Our day of reckoning has come. It's time to prove to the people who made us, just how powerful and downright dangerous we are. It's time to show them, that their creations were a success. They wanted to make the perfect soldier, a human weapon. They wanted to make the perfect killing machine. And so far, we've fulfilled every single one of them." Alec met everyone with cold, emotionless eyes. "_Show them no mercy."_

Terminal City burst into roars of approval, followed by the distinctive clicking sound of everyone cocking their guns.

It was time for battle.

* * *

"Dust 'em all girls!" Buffy heard Faith yell behind her as they sprinted down the canyon brandishing their weapons with extreme

capability. Their Slayer potency bursting from them.

The Ubervamps collided with them with forceful ire and fury-filled strength, effectively living up to their title of power. Buffy wielded her scythe and cut through the mass of vampires, rapidly beheading them and turning them quickly into dust. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that her sister Slayers were kicking ass, and not bothering to take names.

Faith was swearing loudly as she killed everything that moved around her.

Spike's face had contorted to it's own vampiric visage as he took care of the small number of Bringers that had intermingled with the vampires, their eyeless, bald heads clearly visible from where she stood fighting.

One of the Ubervamps holding a dagger that one of the Slayers dropped managed to land a good hit on her right forearm where she bled red. This only fueled her anger. "I forgot to tell you that may favorite color isn't red." She hissed, and stabbed the vamp straight through the heart, making him dissipate quickly into a fine layer of ashes.

But Buffy was not in the mood to admire it's fineness as she caught a number of Vamps heading upstairs.

She was about to go after them when a hand grabbed her, and flipped her on her back. She jumped up swiftly, kicking a very ugly Bringer to the floor and killing it hurriedly as another vampire barged into her. 

"Spike!" She yelled out, gesturing her head to the stone steps were more vampires were ascending.

"Don't worry!" Spike yelled back after staking an abnormally huge Ubervamp. "Giles and the others will take care of them!"

The rain had started to pour.

This barely fazed the lower X series but to the X5s and the X6s, they were starting to complain about it. And they were taking out their complaints on Seattle's little army.

"Damn, I hate rain!" Jewel whined loudly, shaking the droplets of water from her face before punching a Sector cop right in the middle of his face, breaking his nose with a loud crack. The man cried out in pain, dropping his gun, and clutching his nose in agony.

Jewel rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a big baby," she said snatching the gun from the damp ground and tossing it to an X6 who had no firearms. "Your nose was kinda big anyway."

The cop glared at her and attempted to kick her in the midsection. She, however, caught his foot before it hit her and she twisted it around, before ending his pain by shooting him quickly in the head.

The sound of helicopters overhead took her attention from the ground and up into the sky. About a dozen Blackhawks were circling Terminal City's rooftop, and Jewel shouted out a warning to Max who was fighting nearby. "Max! Heads up!"

Max dropped her last prey to the floor before looking up. "No worries, boo. Alec and the others are getting restless waiting for the birds. They've got the snipers hot and ready."

"Cool," Jewel remarked before plunging back into the battlefield.

Giles fingered his sword nervously. So far, they hadn't had a run-in with any of the vampires yet, and that only added to his nervousness instead of the relief he was supposed to feel. He almost wished that they would come up here already...he stopped himself. _You should not be thinking of things like that, old man. Sunnydale is not a place to wish for...horrid things. _

"Oh no!" Andrew gasped behind him in a tiny voice. "They're here."

Giles cursed.

"Whoa!" Wood exclaimed. "There's a lot of them!"

"No surprise," Giles said taking out the first one that approached them. "I estimated about twenty-thousand of them all in all."

Andrew was counting the number of vampires he was taking down. "Hey!" he grinned. "I'm getting a kick out of doing this!"

Giles rolled his eyes when suddenly, he found himself kicked to the ground. The vampire's face drew closer to him, and for a second, he was frozen. _This is it..._he thought somberly..._I'm going to die..._And the vampire disappeared in a cloud of dust, to be replaced by Wood's concerned face. "Are you alright man?"

"I'm fine," Giles replied, shakily standing up and fixing his glasses just in time to see a Bringer dressed in nothing but a black cloak raise a very long knife behind Wood. "Robin! Look out!"

Wood spun around, but it was too late. The Bringer had stabbed him right underneath the ribs.

Giles helped him up before killing the said Bringer.

A few feet in front of him, Andrew and Anya were holding up their own pretty well, while cheerfully talking about some er...disturbing things. "You have to make sure that the girl is all comfortable around you before actually proceeding to the next level." Anya was saying as she waved around her axe.

Andrew was nodding as he took out several vampires while screaming in surprise every time one came charging at him.

It was during this time that Anya fell.

"Anya!" Andrew shouted, rushing to her side, unable to stop the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

One down from the Scooby Gang.

* * *

Hidden behind several metal crates, Alec and his team were cautiously adjusting their snipers, aiming them carefully on the impending choppers. "Take out the drivers," he commanded.

"With pleasure," Mole drawled.

And they pulled their triggers.

"Mission accomplished," Alec said with a smirk as the drivers of the choppers fell from their helicopters and into the sky. The five Blackhawks then started to lose control, and the passengers struggled to take control of the driver's seat. They were too caught up in their panic of trying to gain control of the helicopter that they failed to notice several X5s standing at the edge of the rooftop, holding grenades.

"Toss 'em boys," Alec ordered.

The X5s took aim, and threw them expertly on each of the helicopters

There was a loud explosion.

And the Blackhawks burst into flames.

"Our job here is done, my friends." Alec said in a lazy tone. "Let's go join the party downstairs, shall we?"

Buffy sucked in her breath as the first of the new Slayers fell. Many were already sporting cuts and bruises, but they were still standing strong. She hoped that not many more would follow. "Girls! Don't give up!" she screamed, and suddenly all she could see was stars.

And all she could feel was pain.

She glanced down to her body and saw a sword sticking out right through her stomach, and it was glistening with her blood. With a gasp of pain, she pulled it out and tossed it aside. Heat was spreading through her body and she was slowly losing focus of her surroundings.

As she fell, Faith darted to her side. "B? You okay?"

She shook her head and handed Faith her trusty scythe. "Hold the line." She whispered.

Faith squeezed her hand. "Hang in there B." she whispered back before going back to fighting.

Buffy shuddered as the temperature dropped.

She opened her eyes and saw – herself...the First. "Slayer, Slayer, Slayer." She tutted disapprovingly. "Did you not take what I said seriously?"

"_The Slayer lives her life alone and she will die that way._"

"No I won't!" Buffy hissed, her anger overtaking the pain she was feeling.

"You may be gifted by such great power...but you are still a mortal." The First taunted, circling her like a hawk. "_And mortals bleed..._they _die._" The First smiled sardonically at her before dissipating.

And this somehow, gave Buffy enough strength to stand up and fight again.

"I will not die!" She said through clenched teeth. "_I won't."_

Max was starting to tire. Many of her brothers and sister had already fallen, and she was doing the best that she could to defend them and to keep her emotions intact. But there was only so much stress an X5 could take. And she was certain that it wouldn't be long until she would finally break.

She snapped the neck of the nearest combatant, and proceeded to the next. The adrenaline that had been pumping through her a few minutes ago was slowly starting to fade.

"Hey," a deep voice spoke behind her. "Need any help?"

"Alec," she breathed in relief. "I don't think I can take much of this anymore..."

"You're knight in shining armor to the rescue!" he said with a wry grin, reloading his Glock and shooting everything that was dressed in a uniform.

Together, the two danced across the battlefield rapidly fulfilling their duties as the perfect soldier. Lydecker would've been pleased. The kills that they made today would've made any Manticore official proud. Unfortunately, if there _were _any Manticore officials around, they would've been dead.

The transgenics had _not _forgiven them for doing this to them.

Being betrayed by your own Command was something that they were not particularly fond of.

_I wonder when we'll be able to live a normal life._ Max thought in midst of the battle. _A normal life where we won't see so much blood anymore. Where we won't have to watch our backs every now and then. Where we'd be free..._

_Right now, we're nothing short of genetically-enhanced supersoldiers locked in our own city...a cage that kept us from doing anything we want. And for a while, this cage had become our home..._

_  
And the home that we had come to love is now slowly meeting its destruction..._

A/N: As you probably all know by now, I have never been to Canada and so I just made up the address: 12th street, St. Louis Pierre etc...I'm writing fiction people, so you'll just have to imagine a place like that exists!!!

One more chap to go...

Hehehe!!!


	21. Beginning

A/N: THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!! YOU GUYS ROCK!! AND YES THERE WILL BE SEQUEL!!!

This is it guys! The last chapter!!! ENJOY!!! YOU MUST!!! :-)

"_There will come a time when you believe that everything is finished.___

_That will be the beginning."_

Chapter Twenty One: Beginning

There was a flash of bright light.

Immediately everyone's attention was on a certain vampire that was wearing a certain amulet.

"Spike!" Buffy shouted above the chaos.

Spike had stumbled back against the wall of the cavern, his amulet finally taking effect. A beam of light shot up out of it, and it blasted through the roof, showering the souled vampire in a circle of bright sunlight. The light shooting from the amulet vaporized all the Ubervamps, one after the other.

And it eventually began to destroy the cavern.

"Run!" Buffy screamed at the Slayers. They obliged cooperatively, dashing up the stone steps as fast as they could. Most of them were in tears as they cast distressed looks at their sisters who did not make it.

Faith was standing on the bottom step, glancing from Spike to Buffy, unable to make the decision of staying or leaving.

"Faith, go." Buffy said, appreciating her concern. "Look after the girls."

Faith hesitated. But then she nodded and darted up the stairs.

Buffy stayed with Spike until the last second, holding his hand as it caught fire. "Spike..." she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't leave me..."

"I have to do this Buffy," he said. "I can feel it in my soul."

"I love you," Buffy choked out in midst of her tears.

Spike smiled a pained smile. "I love you too."

And with that, he disintegrated into the light.

"Max!" A breathless voice shouted from her elbow. It was Dalton. His usually spiky hair was disheveled and blood was trickling down his nose. He was clutching a rifle on his right hand, and he looked beyond panicked.

"Dalton, are you alright?"

"They—they've planted a bomb," he gasped out.

Max's eyes widened. "What?!"

"It's there," he pointed at a nearby building. The Command Center. "We've got about fifteen minutes before we get totally barbecued."

"But they've still got their men here!" Max spluttered.

"Collateral damage." Alec said, coming up to them, looking stricken at this news.

"Our worst nightmare," Max said with a tired sigh.

And sucking in a deep breath, she shouted at the top of her lungs. "_RUN!" _

The school had reached its doom, as it started to crumble before their very eyes. The Hellmouth was self-destructing, and it was taking the whole town with it. The whole of Sunnydale.

Buffy raced the ground as it started to fall in, chasing the school bus that was hauling everyone away.

With renewed speed she leapt from a building and landed loudly on the bus roof. She hung on tightly as the bus streaked for the highway, anxious to begin a new life.

Finally, they made it far away enough to stop and look back at the giant canyon that used to be their town. Buffy hopped down to the ground and stood beside her friends, tears staining her face.

Sunnydale was no longer on the map. It didn't exist anymore. It was all gone. Buffy let out a strangled sob as her whole life seemed to flash before her eyes. So many things had happened in that town. So many memories had been created there. Especially one that she would never ever forget...

Spike's gone.

"I wonder what destroyed the Hellmouth," Giles remarked from beside her, breaking the silence.

"Spike did," Buffy said quietly, unable to stop the tears from cascading down her face. "He saved us all."

"A true hero," Giles commented, nodding. Buffy was surprised to see that there were tears in his eyes as well. "The same goes for Anya as well."

Xander smiled. "I'm so proud of her."

Giles, Dawn, Willow, Faith, Xander and Buffy looked out on what was once Sunnydale.

She still couldn't believe that they actually saved the world and well, pretty much changed it, and now...they'll need to find the new Slayers. She wasn't the only Chosen One now, she was no longer alone.

And with the sun glinting in her eyes.

Buffy smiled.

Max's ninja sped through the driveway with Alec in the front seat. From either side of them, motorcycles carrying other transgenics were driving as fast as they could as well.

They had barely sped past Terminal City's front gates when the Command Center exploded with a loud bang, throwing more than a few cops down on their feet, and a few other transgenics from their vehicles.

The heat of the explosion reached them and, Max urged him to go faster.

Bullets flew past them, and he had to swerve from left to right to avoid getting hit. He snuck a glance behind him and saw the horrific image of Terminal City engulfed in angry flames.

Their home was officially destroyed. It was now nothing but a blazing inferno.

From behind him, Max was trembling.

"It's over," she said softly. "It's actually over."

Alec let out an ironic laugh. "We're genetically enhanced supersoldiers on the run from the government _and _Manticore. It's never over for us, Maxie."

Max blinked away her tears. "They won't stop hunting us, won't they?"

Alec smiled mirthlessly. "I'm afraid not." His eyes narrowed. "Our days of living are over."

"Our days of surviving have just begun."

THE END

A/N: Oh wow, it's finally over!!! Man, I had so much fun writing this fic, I'd like to thank EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED MY FIC!!! You guys know who you are and I just want you to know that I'm really, really thankful! (wipes at imaginary tears) So please, please, please review this last chapter, and watch out for the sequel...The title is "Judgment Day".


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